Brookwood Hospital at

Knaphill Knaphill is a village in Surrey, England, between Woking to the east and Aldershot to the west; to the south and north on the A322 – its western border – are Brookwood, and Bisley. Some of the village is on a hill, hence its name. ...

(near

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

) in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, was established in 1867 by Surrey Quarter Sessions as the second County Asylum, the first being Springfield Asylum in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre- Saxon times ...

(1840). A third asylum,

Cane Hill Hospital Cane Hill Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon in the London Borough of Croydon. The site is owned by GLA Land and Property. History The hospital has its origins as the third Surrey County Pauper Lunatic Asylum, designed by Charles ...

at Coulsdon in the eastern part of the county, followed in 1882.

History

Brookwood Lunatic Asylum Fancy Dress Ball

The facility, which was designed by Charles Henry Howell, the principal asylum architect in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and architect to the Lunacy Commissioners and

county surveyor A county surveyor is a public official in the United Kingdom and the United States. United Kingdom Webb & Webb describe the increasing chaos that began to prevail within this same period in field of county surveying in England and Wales, with c ...

for Surrey from 1860–1893, was opened as the Brookwood Asylum on 17 June 1867. It was the leading

mental hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociati ...

for the western half of Surrey, occupying a large site at

, near Brookwood. The hospital had a

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...

, a cobbler's workshop, a large

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

, its own fire brigade, gasworks and sewage farm and employed the services of many local businesses. Surrey County Council Archive The chapel, which could seat 800, opened in 1903. The facility became known as Brookwood Hospital in 1919. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the hospital served as an emergency war hospital and it joined the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

in 1948. A library and conference centre were built in 1967. It was occupied by staff protesting about staff shortages in 1982. Only 420 were in post out of an establishment of 805. It eventually closed in 1994. Since the hospital's closure the land has been sold off for development for housing, and the clock tower and the central building around it, which is

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

, has been converted into luxury apartments. Several of the new residential roads were named after the old hospital wards. The hospital's chapel is now a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple and the former mortuary now provides living accommodation for the temple's monks. A large two-storey building that was originally the hospital's social club has been converted and registered as a children's day care centre and nursery.

Brookwood Hospital Archive

In 2002 a grant from the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

's Research Resources in Medical History grant scheme allowed a comprehensive catalogue of the historic archive of Brookwood Hospital to be made. This catalogue has made the archive available to researchers as a source for medical, social and local historians. The preserved archive is very extensive and provides a detailed overview of the day-to-day running of Brookwood Hospital and of the medical care provided to its patients throughout its history. The records also show how the hospital operated as a self-contained community, employing patients with skills in cooking, cleaning and gardening, providing training workshops, a farm which provided food for both the hospital and for sale, and details of the entertainment provided for the residents.

References

External links

Brookwood Hospital ArchivesThe Brookwood Hospital records on the National ArchivePhotographs from Brookwood Hospital
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brookwood Hospital Former psychiatric hospitals in England Hospitals in Surrey History of Surrey Woking Hospital buildings completed in 1867 Hospitals established in 1867 1867 establishments in England 1994 disestablishments in England Defunct companies based in Surrey Defunct hospitals in England Gothic Revival architecture in Surrey