Royal Earlswood Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Royal Earlswood Hospital or The Royal Earlswood Asylum for Idiots in Redhill, Surrey
was the first establishment to cater specifically for people with learning disabilities
. Previously they had been housed either in asylums for the mentally ill or in workhouse
s.
(of the Hanwell Asylum
) and Rev Dr Andrew Reed (a philanthropist
and founder of several orphanage
s) they determined to educate such people.
In the spring of 1847 Reed toured Europe to gather information on institutions serving the purpose, and in October the project to found "The Asylum for Idiots" began. Lord Palmerston
, Baron Rothschild
and Lord Ashley became officers of the charity.
In 1848 a building was purchased and the first patients admitted. This building, Park House at Highgate, quickly proved to be small and a new building was commissioned. Several designs were submitted in competition and a Mr. Moffat's was chosen. The builder was John Jay
of London Wall, whose varied work included substantial railway construction contracts, rebuilding the Houses of Parliament after the 1833 fire, and smaller architect-designed projects such as the Abney Park Chapel
and Trinity Independent Chapel
. The building was entirely financed by public subscription and Queen Victoria subscribed 250 guineas in the name of Edward Prince of Wales, who became a life member. Prince Albert took a special interest from the beginning. He laid the foundation stone in June 1853 and opened the Asylum in June 1855. In 1862 Queen Victoria
conferred a Royal Charter
on the asylum.
John Langdon-Down (after whom Down syndrome
was named) was medical superintendent
of the hospital from 1855 to 1868. At this time patients slept in fifteen-bed dormitories and there was one member of staff to each seven patients. Tuberculosis
accounted for the majority of deaths in the institution.
Patients were taught various manual trades such as carpentry, printing and brush-making, as well as domestic, garden and farm duties.
On 5 July 1958 the hospital ceased to be a charitable trust
and was absorbed into the National Health Service
.
A notable inmate was James Henry Pullen
who carved wonderful works of art and built detailed models, including one of Brunel's Great Eastern
.
For several decades two of the Queen Mother's
nieces, Katherine Bowes-Lyon and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, were kept at the hospital, without visits from the Royal Family
, and were declared dead by Buckingham Palace in an intentional fabrication, possibly to prevent unwanted media attention. In November 2011, a Channel 4 documentary profiled the sisters stating they were diagnosed as imbecilic but were both pleasant and had relatively happy lives so ex-nurses recalled.
The hospital closed in 1997 as part of the Government's long-term plan to transfer the care of people with learning disabilities into the community, and is now the site of the recent Royal Earlswood Park residential development.
A number of the buildings are listed buildings: the main building, the workshop and the gate lodges
. It illustrates the history and development of the ayslum and contains works of James Henry Pullen
(1835–1916). See links below.
Redhill, Surrey
Redhill is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead, Surrey, England and is part of the London commuter belt. Redhill and the adjacent town of Reigate form a single urban area.-History:...
was the first establishment to cater specifically for people with learning disabilities
Developmental disability
Developmental disability is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. It is not synonymous with "developmental delay" which is often a consequence of a temporary illness or trauma during...
. Previously they had been housed either in asylums for the mentally ill or in workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
s.
History
Around 1847 Ann Serena Plumbe took an interest in the plight of the learning disabled, or "idiots" as they were unflinchingly termed at the time, and began to discuss what could be done to assist them. In discussion with Dr John ConollyJohn 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...
(of the Hanwell Asylum
Hanwell 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 ...
) and Rev Dr Andrew Reed (a philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and founder of several orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
s) they determined to educate such people.
In the spring of 1847 Reed toured Europe to gather information on institutions serving the purpose, and in October the project to found "The Asylum for Idiots" began. Lord Palmerston
Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, KG, GCB, PC , known popularly as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister in the mid-19th century...
, Baron Rothschild
Baron Rothschild
Baron Rothschild, of Tring in the County of Hertford, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1885 for Sir Nathan Rothschild, 2nd Baronet, a member of the Rothschild banking family. He was the first person of the Jewish faith to be raised to the peerage...
and Lord Ashley became officers of the charity.
In 1848 a building was purchased and the first patients admitted. This building, Park House at Highgate, quickly proved to be small and a new building was commissioned. Several designs were submitted in competition and a Mr. Moffat's was chosen. The builder was John Jay
John Jay (builder)
John Jay was a building contractor and, earlier, a skilled stonemason, who owned a construction company located in the central City of London within Metropolitan London, England, during the 19th century and its period of rapid civic and railway expansion in the middle of the 19th century...
of London Wall, whose varied work included substantial railway construction contracts, rebuilding the Houses of Parliament after the 1833 fire, and smaller architect-designed projects such as the Abney Park Chapel
Abney Park Chapel
Abney Park Chapel, is a Grade II Listed chapel, designed by William Hosking and built by John Jay that is situated in Europe's first wholly nondenominational cemetery, Abney Park Cemetery, London....
and Trinity Independent Chapel
Trinity Independent Chapel
Now a Methodist chapel, the original Trinity Independent Chapel was designed in 1840-41 by William Hosking FSA, at Poplar, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and built by John Jay....
. The building was entirely financed by public subscription and Queen Victoria subscribed 250 guineas in the name of Edward Prince of Wales, who became a life member. Prince Albert took a special interest from the beginning. He laid the foundation stone in June 1853 and opened the Asylum in June 1855. In 1862 Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
conferred a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
on the asylum.
John Langdon-Down (after whom Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
was named) was medical superintendent
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
of the hospital from 1855 to 1868. At this time patients slept in fifteen-bed dormitories and there was one member of staff to each seven patients. Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
accounted for the majority of deaths in the institution.
Patients were taught various manual trades such as carpentry, printing and brush-making, as well as domestic, garden and farm duties.
On 5 July 1958 the hospital ceased to be a charitable trust
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
and was absorbed into the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
.
A notable inmate was James Henry Pullen
James Henry Pullen
James Henry Pullen , also known as the Genius of Earlswood Asylum, was a British autistic savant, possibly suffering from aphasia.-Childhood:...
who carved wonderful works of art and built detailed models, including one of Brunel's Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern
SS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
.
For several decades two of the Queen Mother's
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
nieces, Katherine Bowes-Lyon and Nerissa Bowes-Lyon, were kept at the hospital, without visits from the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, and were declared dead by Buckingham Palace in an intentional fabrication, possibly to prevent unwanted media attention. In November 2011, a Channel 4 documentary profiled the sisters stating they were diagnosed as imbecilic but were both pleasant and had relatively happy lives so ex-nurses recalled.
The hospital closed in 1997 as part of the Government's long-term plan to transfer the care of people with learning disabilities into the community, and is now the site of the recent Royal Earlswood Park residential development.
A number of the buildings are listed buildings: the main building, the workshop and the gate lodges
The Royal Earlswood Museum
This is housed in the Belfry Shopping Centre nearby in RedhillRedhill
Redhill can refer to:* Redhill, South Australia, Australia* Redhill, Nottinghamshire, England* Redhill, Shropshire, England* Redhill, Somerset, England* Redhill, Surrey, England**Redhill railway station**Redhill Aerodrome* Redhill, Singapore, Singapore...
. It illustrates the history and development of the ayslum and contains works of James Henry Pullen
James Henry Pullen
James Henry Pullen , also known as the Genius of Earlswood Asylum, was a British autistic savant, possibly suffering from aphasia.-Childhood:...
(1835–1916). See links below.