Merrifield Children's Unit
Encyclopedia
Merrifield Children’s Unit (also known as Merryfield or Merrifields) was a residential children’s and adolescents’ psychiatric institution in the grounds of Tone Vale Hospital
(an adult mental hospital) approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north west of Norton Fitzwarren
, near Taunton
, Somerset
, England, in what is now the village Cotford St Luke
.
Dr Martin Francis Bethell (d. 1982) as a regional unit for the treatment of young people. By November 1961, it was catering for 36 'psychotic and maladjusted' children. In the mid-1970s, the Merrifield buildings were upgraded, and a substantial new extension was opened in March 1976 by Sir Desmond Pond. Other child psychiatry specialists associated with Merrifield at this time included Dr Adriaan Bakker and Dr Frank Bayley.
. Merrifield is succeeded by the Orchard Lodge Young People's Unit located in Cotford St Luke.
Tone Vale Hospital
Tone Vale Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located approximately to the north west of Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton, Somerset, England, in what is now the village of Cotford St Luke...
(an adult mental hospital) approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north west of Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,325.-History:...
, near Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, in what is now the village Cotford St Luke
Cotford St Luke
Cotford St Luke is a village in the district of Taunton Deane, Somerset, England. Cotford St Luke is a new village that was established following the closure of Tone Vale Hospital and Cotford Asylum in the 1990s...
.
History
The Merrifield Unit was established by psychiatristPsychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Dr Martin Francis Bethell (d. 1982) as a regional unit for the treatment of young people. By November 1961, it was catering for 36 'psychotic and maladjusted' children. In the mid-1970s, the Merrifield buildings were upgraded, and a substantial new extension was opened in March 1976 by Sir Desmond Pond. Other child psychiatry specialists associated with Merrifield at this time included Dr Adriaan Bakker and Dr Frank Bayley.
Current status
Tone Vale Hospital, Merrifield Unit’s parent institution, was closed in 1995, as was Merrifield itself. The entire site is now occupied by the newly-built village of Cotford St LukeCotford St Luke
Cotford St Luke is a village in the district of Taunton Deane, Somerset, England. Cotford St Luke is a new village that was established following the closure of Tone Vale Hospital and Cotford Asylum in the 1990s...
. Merrifield is succeeded by the Orchard Lodge Young People's Unit located in Cotford St Luke.