The UK's leading medical research charity has given more than £56,000 to help fund an exciting new project at the Dorset History Centre.

The funding from the Wellcome Trust will support a year-long project to fully catalogue the Herrison Hospital archive.

Herrison Hospital was the Dorset County Lunatic Asylum, originally founded 1832 and based at Forston House in Charminster. By the 1860s, this facility was too small and the new asylum at the Herrison site was opened in 1863.

Herrison House itself was opened in 1904, and in 1940 the institution became known as Herrison Hospital.

At its peak, Herrison Hospital was home to nearly 1000 patients and only closed its doors in 1992.

The hospital archive is of great interest to researchers and family historians alike, and through the project it will be made available to the general public through the Dorset History Centre website.

In addition, the funding will allow a significant amount of conservation work to take place including cleaning, repairing and packaging the archive to assist in its long-term preservation.

Cllr Andrew Parry, cabinet member for education, learning and skills said: "We are so grateful to the Wellcome Trust for their support. Securing this vital funding will enable the completion of work to catalogue the fascinating history of Herrison and create accessibility for anyone researching important aspects of hospitals work over a 160 year period."

The archive consists of 300 boxes of material, including thousands of poignant individual patient records as well as a wide range of other material – from the hospital’s farm to building plans, and even social activities such as the rounders society.

The archive is an important resource for medical and social history, and Dorset History Centre has been working with academics from Bournemouth University and the University of Exeter who intend to use the collection for their research as the project unfolds.

It is thought that some of Herrison’s archives were retained by hospital staff when the institution closed its doors.

Recently, Dorset History Centre received some records that had been rescued by a former employee, whose son brought them in to join the rest of the archive.

The centre is appealing to the public who may know of records such as these, to get in touch with Dorset History Centre at email archives@dorsetcc.gov.uk or 01305 250550, and ask to speak to an archivist.