Napsbury Hospital

Napsbury Hospital
Napsbury Hospital
Shown in Hertfordshire
Geography
Location	London Colney, England
Coordinates	51.723°N 0.310°W / 51.723; -0.310
Organisation
Type	Mental health
History
Opened	1905
Closed	1998
Links

Napsbury Hospital was a mental health facility in London Colney near St. Albans in Hertfordshire. It had two sister institutions, Harperbury Hospital and Shenley Hospital, within a few miles of its location.[1]

History

The hospital was designed by Rowland Plumbe in the country estate style and was initially known as the Middlesex County Asylum.[2]

The hospital was designed for 1,205 residents,[3] and the grounds were designed by William Goldring.[3] Following the construction of the numerous buildings and extensive grounds, Napsbury opened on 3 June 1905.[4] According to the Middlesex County Record, the initial cost, including land and equipment, was £545,000, or £473 per bed. In 1908 Plumbe designed an extension to accommodate a further 600 patients.[5]

During the First World War, Napsbury was used for and known as the County of Middlesex War Hospital, which treated wounded soldiers.[3][6][7] Following the war, the hospital was returned to its original purpose.[8]

Although Napsbury suffered some bomb damage in the Blitz, it was in continuous use as a hospital until its official closure in 1998. However, until at least 2002 one building was still in use for psychiatric patients.[3]

Due to its largely untouched parkland, Napsbury was listed by English Heritage as a Grade II Historic Park and Garden in 2001.[9] The site has been redeveloped for residential use as Napsbury Park.[9]

Famous residents

Famous residents of the hospital included:

• Ivor Gurney, English poet and artist[10]
• Louis Wain, English artist[3]
• Opal Whiteley, American nature writer[11]

References

1. "Shenley Hospital". Lost hospitals of London. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
2. "Napsbury Park". Historic Hospitals. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
3. Warwack, O. (2007). "A bit about Napsbury". Retrieved 21 June 2008.
4. "Middlesex County Asylum". Cracknell, P. 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
5. "A History of Napsbury Park". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
6. "Napsbury". Genealogy in Hertfordshire. 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
7. Toms, J. (2006). "Review of Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War by Peter Barham". Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 21 June 2008.; Bill Pollard, email to Jamie Oliver, May 8, 2011.
8. Ted Banfield (1985), Remember London Colney, Barracuda Books
9. "Napsbury Park.com". Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
10. Boden, A (2007). "Ivor Gurney : A Biographical outline". Ivor Gurney Society. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
11. Dean, M (23 August 2012). "Opal Whiteley's Riddles". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 January 2013.