Royal Earlswood Hospital

The Royal Earlswood Hospital or The Royal Earlswood Asylum for Idiots in Redhill, Surrey was an asylum for people with learning disabilities.

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 Connolly (of the Hanwell Asylum) and Rev Dr Andrew Reed (a philanthropist and founder of several orphanages) they determined to educate such people.

In the spring of 1847 Reed toured Europe to gather information on institutions serving the purpose. In October of that year the project to found "The Asylum for Idiots" was begun. Lord Palmerston, Baron Rothschild and Lord Ashley became officers of the charity.

In 1848 a building - Park House, Highgate - was purchased and the first patients admitted. However, this quickly proved to be of inadequate size 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's syndrome was named) was medical superintendent of the hospital from 1855-1868. Around the time of his stewardship, patients slept in dormitories holding 15. There was one member of staff to each seven patients. Tuberculosis accounted for the majority of deaths in the institution. [http://adc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/reprint/86/suppl_1/A52.pdf]

Patients were taught various manual trades, carpentry, printing, brush-making as well as domestic, garden and farm duties.

On July 5, 1958 the hospitable 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 there without visits from the Royal Family and were declared dead by Buckingham Palace in an intentional fabrication.

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 development.

External links

* [http://stlis.thenhs.com/hln/publications/inset/archives/39/meet39.htm#knight Information on the hospital]
* [http://www.spamula.net/blog/archives/000267.html Pictures and information about Pullen]