History of St John of God Richmond Hospital

Hospital opens in 1952

The historic Belmont House, a mansion founded in 1892, became the location for the original hospital. It was opened in 1952 by the Brothers of St John of God to provide a safe place for men to receive care for a mental illness.

Cardinal Sir Norman Gilroy, who blessed and dedicated the new hospital in 1952, said:

“The foundations for a great hospital for men who are mentally ill had been laid. The blessing of Almighty God had been invoked upon that foundation. From this humble but solid foundation a splendid edifice is destined to rise a work of charity and mercy.”

Continued expansions

In November 1975, the hospital opened two new wings and expanded its services in psychiatric care and the treatment of alcohol and drug addictions.

Another wing was opened in January 1991, to provide medical and surgical services, and was later used to house the nationally recognised Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Unit. We have a long history of treating service men and women with posttraumatic stress disorder, establishing the program in 1994.

Anniversary celebrations

In March 2018, Belmont House’s rich 125 year history came to life with the recovery of a time capsule beneath the foundation stone of the 1892 mansion.

Adrian Howie, grandson of the original builders, and Neil Renaud, of the Colo Shire Family History Group, discovered an article in the Gazette from March 1892 which detailed the laying of the time capsule within the foundation stone.

The capsule was located – it was a glass stoppered bottle cemented into a trench under the foundation stone. Enclosed inside were the newspapers of the day, a scroll listing the names of all present at the laying of the foundation stone on 29 February 1892, and “all the coins of the realm” – 88 coins from all over the world.

The contents of the time capsule were exhibited as a as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of Belmont House at St John of God Richmond Hospital, in partnership with “Friends of Belmont House”, to ensure the story of Belmont House at St John of God Richmond Hospital continues to be told.

Our redevelopment and renowned reputation

Today, we are one of Sydney’s most renowned private mental health hospitals that provides a safe, structured and supportive place to recover.

A major redevelopment of St John of God Richmond Hospital was completed in 2024, and has transformed the hospital into a modern campus for the provision of comprehensive, accessible and life-changing mental health care.