The Royal Earlswood Hospital, formerly The Asylum for Idiots and The Royal Earlswood Institution for Mental Defectives, in Redhill, Surrey, was the first establishment to cater specifically for people with

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

. Previously they had been housed either in asylums for the

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

or in

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

History

In 1847, Ann Serena Plumbe took an interest in the plight of the learning disabled, or "idiots" as they were termed at the time, and began to discuss what could be done to assist them. In discussion with Dr

John Conolly John Conolly (27 May 1794 – 5 March 1866) was an English psychiatrist. He published the volume ''Indications of Insanity'' in 1830. In 1839, he was appointed resident physician to the Middlesex County Asylum where he introduced the princip ...

(of the

Hanwell Asylum St Bernard's Hospital, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum and the Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum, was an asylum built for the pauper insane, opening as the First Middlesex County Asylum in 1831. Some of the original buildings are now part of ...

) and Rev Dr Andrew Reed (a philanthropist and founder of several

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or ab ...

s) they determined to educate such people. Reed toured Europe to gather information on institutions serving the purpose and in October the project to found The Asylum for Idiots, as it was originally called, began with the appointment of a board of management. A property known as Park House in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

was purchased in March 1848 and the first patients were admitted in April 1848, including a 13 year-old Andrew Reed Plumbe. The building quickly proved too small, so in 1850 an 155-acre site was purchased at Earlswood Common, near Redhill, and a public appeal launched to raise funds for the building of a model 'Asylum for Idiots' to house 400 residents.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

subscribed 250 guineas in the name of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

who became a life member. The hospital was designed by William Bonython Moffat and built by

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

. Prince Albert took a special interest from the beginning. He laid the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

in June 1853 and opened the Asylum in June 1855. In 1862

conferred a

Royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but s ...

on the asylum. One notable inmate in the early years of the asylum was artist James Henry Pullen (1835–1916).

John Langdon Down John Langdon Haydon Down (18 November 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician best known for his description of the genetic condition now known as Down syndrome, which he originally classified in 1862. He is also noted for his work in ...

(after whom

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

was named) was medical

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

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 (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

accounted for the majority of deaths in the institution. Two new wings were completed in 1873. Andrew remained at Earlswood until his death in 1881, aged 45. The asylum was renamed The Royal Earlswood Institution for Mental Defectives in June 1926.

Nerissa and Katherine Bowes-Lyon Nerissa Jane Irene Bowes-Lyon (18 February 1919 – 22 January 1986) and Katherine Juliet Bowes-Lyon (4 July 1926 – 23 February 2014) were two of the daughters of John Herbert Bowes-Lyon and his wife Fenella (née Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefu ...

, who were nieces of

the Queen Mother ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

and first cousins of

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

, were placed in the hospital in 1941. The hospital 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. Following the introduction of Care in the Community, the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in March 1997. The site was redeveloped for residential use and is now known as Royal Earlswood Park. A number of the buildings are

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 ...

: these include the main building, the workshop and the gate lodges.

The Royal Earlswood Museum

The Royal Earlswood Museum was located at the Belfry Shopping Centre nearby in Redhill. It illustrated the history and development of the asylum and contained works by former inmate, James Henry Pullen. The museum is now closed and in 2012 its collections and artefacts were donated to the Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. The museum's archives are located in the

Surrey History Centre Surrey History Centre in Woking, Surrey, England, collects and rescues archives and printed materials relating to Surrey's past and present. Building and facilities The present building was conceived in the mid-1990s, driven by the need, recog ...

in Woking.

References

External links

Pictures and information about PullenJames Henry Pullen - Genius of Earlswood Asylum
{{authority control 1848 establishments in England 1997 disestablishments in England Defunct hospitals in England Hospital buildings completed in 1855 Former psychiatric hospitals in England Hospitals in Surrey Grade II listed buildings in Surrey Earlswood Hospital Hospitals established in 1848

History

The Royal Earlswood Museum

References

Further reading

External links