Hartwood is a small town and one which is synonymous with the 19th century building used as a hospital until the late 1990s.

It originally opened on May 14, 1895, at a cost of £153,000 and chosen because of its isolation from other towns and areas in Lanarkshire. Local architect James Lochhead was charged with an expansion of the sanatorium in 1904, installing a new reception in 1916 and building a hostel for male staff built in 1936.

The psychiatric hospital’s growth over the years saw the number of available spaces for residents rise from 420 to 960 by 1913 and later held the record as Europe’s largest asylum housing 2500 patients.

As part of the 1857 Lunacy (Scotland) Act each local area in the country had to build a “district asylum” to provide specialist care for diagnosed “pauper lunatics”.

Around 100 years later the rural Hartwood Hospital site resembled something of the modern day campuses we recognise with a bowling green, shops and a dance hall all built in the “village”.

While one act of parliament brought about the beginning of the centre it would be another bill, the 1990 Community Care Act, which would bring about the beginning of the end as psychiatric care was moved and make Hartwood Hospital redundant.

Five years later it became an administration site and in 1998 everything was vacated over to a similar but more modern Hartwoodhill Hospital. Between then and 2011 when Hartwoodhill was also shut down as part of the reorganisation and formation of NHS Lanarkshire most of the original buildings were demolished save for the main building with its twin clock towers.

The A-listed building’s last use from 1998 was as a studio and base for Lanarkshire Television, however the project was closed down in 2002 and it remained empty in seclusion ever since.

Two years later saw the first major fire to break out at the hospital building, a fire which would destroy many of the offices, a dining hall and cause internal damage to the clock towers.

A second fire hit the derelict building in 2011 but not as much damage had been caused as in 2004. Despite the previous damage it was estimated to have a market value of £1.1m, however that figure may tumble more following a third blaze which Scottish Fire and Rescue Crews battled from Sunday night into Monday morning.

A SFRS spokesman said: "The fire involved the whole of the roof space and resulted in considerable damage to the derelict building.

"It has now been brought under control but operations continue, along with Police Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council representatives, to make the building safe."