Infamous Willow Court dates from the 1820s and once housed invalid convicts before it became a mental institution. In 1968 it had 1000 patients, but by the 1980s asylums began to be phased out in favour of community-based treatment. In 2000 the asylum finally closed. The stately old buildings are grim but are slowly being repurposed, and now include a motel, the Patchwork Cafe and an eccentric antiques shop.
