Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum
Encyclopedia
Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum (or Friern Hospital) was an early psychiatric hospital
located in Colney Hatch
in what is now the London Borough of Barnet
. The hospital was in operation from 1851 to 1993.
At its height Colney Hatch was home to 3500 mental patients and had the longest corridor in Britain, and hence, its name was synonymous among London
ers with any mental institution
. It would take a visitor more than five hours to walk the wards.
The lunatic asylum, as such hospitals were known at the time, was located on Friern Barnet Road. It is shown on of 1876-1881 which marks Colney Hatch Park in the area centred on Springfield Road in New Southgate
, in the London Borough of Enfield
. The asylum itself was further west in what is now generally called Friern Barnet
, in the London Borough of Barnet.
It was close to the Great Northern Railway
and had its own station.
at Hanwell
on ground that lies just on the other side of the Grand Union Canal
. Perhaps the number of other asylums already in the area led to the decision to have it built elsewhere. The architect was Samuel Daukes
, the design of which was based on the advice of John Conolly
, the superintendent of the 1st Middlesex Asylum. It opened on the 17th of July, 1851 and was officially referred to as the 2nd Middlesex County Asylum with William Charles Hood (1824-1870) being its first medical superintendent.
In 1889 its control was transferred to the London County Council
. On January 27, 1903, 52 people died in a fire at the asylum. It became known as the Colney Hatch Mental Hospital in 1918 until it was renamed Friern Mental Hospital in 1937, the name later changing simply to Friern Hospital in 1959. After a long period of decline the hospital closed in 1993 and the building was converted into luxury flats under the name Princess Park Manor. While much of the hospital's grounds were also sold off for building, much also remains in public hands and is accessible to anyone.
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
located in Colney Hatch
Colney Hatch
Colney Hatch is the historical name for a small district within the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. The name Colney Hatch was originally that of a hamlet in the parish of Friern Barnet, first recorded in the early 15th century...
in what is now the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
. The hospital was in operation from 1851 to 1993.
At its height Colney Hatch was home to 3500 mental patients and had the longest corridor in Britain, and hence, its name was synonymous among London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
ers with any mental institution
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
. It would take a visitor more than five hours to walk the wards.
The lunatic asylum, as such hospitals were known at the time, was located on Friern Barnet Road. It is shown on of 1876-1881 which marks Colney Hatch Park in the area centred on Springfield Road in New Southgate
New Southgate
New Southgate is a residential suburb in the south-east corner of the London Borough of Barnet and the south-west corner of the London Borough of Enfield in North London, England....
, in the London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
. The asylum itself was further west in what is now generally called Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
, in the London Borough of Barnet.
It was close to the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
and had its own station.
History
Originally plans were made and land purchased for this asylum to be built in proximity close to the existing 1st Middlesex County AsylumHanwell Asylum
The County Asylum at Hanwell, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum, and Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum, was built for the pauper insane and is now the West London Mental Health Trust ...
at Hanwell
Hanwell
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent...
on ground that lies just on the other side of the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
. Perhaps the number of other asylums already in the area led to the decision to have it built elsewhere. The architect was Samuel Daukes
Samuel Daukes
Samuel Whitfield Daukes was an English architect. He was born in London in 1811, the son of Samuel Whitfield Daukes, a businessman with coal mining and brewery interests, who bought Diglis House, Worcester in 1827. He was articled about 1827 to James Pigott Pritchett of York, and had set himself...
, the design of which was based on the advice of John Conolly
John Conolly
John Conolly , English psychiatrist, was born at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, of an Irish family. He spent four years as a lieutenant in the Cambridgeshire Militia and lived for a year in France before embarking on a medical career.He graduated with an MD degree at University of Edinburgh in 1821...
, the superintendent of the 1st Middlesex Asylum. It opened on the 17th of July, 1851 and was officially referred to as the 2nd Middlesex County Asylum with William Charles Hood (1824-1870) being its first medical superintendent.
In 1889 its control was transferred to the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. On January 27, 1903, 52 people died in a fire at the asylum. It became known as the Colney Hatch Mental Hospital in 1918 until it was renamed Friern Mental Hospital in 1937, the name later changing simply to Friern Hospital in 1959. After a long period of decline the hospital closed in 1993 and the building was converted into luxury flats under the name Princess Park Manor. While much of the hospital's grounds were also sold off for building, much also remains in public hands and is accessible to anyone.
Notable residents
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's wives.