The Asylum List

In 1914 there were over one hundred thousand patients within over one hundred mental institutions around the United Kingdom, the majority of these institutions were built since the passing of the County Asylum / Lunacy Act in 1845. With the passing of the care in the community act in the 1980’s, many of these institutions have since closed; only a few of them remain open and in the use for mental health services.

The original county asylums list was first compiled by Dr. Jeremy Taylor for his definitive publication Hospital And Asylum Architecture 1840-1914 then updated by both Simon Cornwell and Peter Cracknell. We have since modified this list to what we believe to be the true ‘County Asylum’ list for England and Wales.

The list comprises of 119 ‘County Asylums’ in both England and Wales. We have also added a further list for additional asylums/hospitals that we do not believe come under the ‘County Asylum’ list but are noteworthy inclusions to the website along with a basic list of the asylums in Scotland.

We will endeavour to update/add additional pages as we find time.

↓ Click on the asylum name for individual history & photos

County Asylums

Name	Location	Managing County	Original Name
All Saints	Birmingham	Warwickshire	First Birmingham Borough Asylum
Banstead	Belmont	Middlesex	Third (old) Middlesex County Asylum
Barnsley Hall	Bromsgrove	Worcestershire	Worcester County Asylum
Barrow	Barrow Gurney	Gloucestershire	Bristol City Mental Hospital
Bedford	Bedford	Bedfordshire	Bedford Asylum
Bexley	Dartford	London	Seventh London County Asylum, Dartford Heath
Broadgate	Beverley	Yorkshire	East Riding County Asylum
Brookwood	Woking	Surrey	Second Surrey County Asylum
Calderstones	Clitheroe	Lancashire	Sixth Lancashire Asylum/ Calderstones Institution
Cane Hill	Coulsdon	Surrey	Third (old) Surrey County Asylum
Carlton Hayes	Narborough	Leicestershire	Leicestershire and Rutland Asylum
Caterham	Caterham	London	Metropolitan Asylums Board – Caterham Imbecile Asylum
Cefn Coed	Swansea	Glamorgan	Swansea Borough Asylum
Central	Hatton	Warwickshire	Warwickshire County Lunatic Asylum
Cherry Knowle	Ryhope	County Durham	Sunderland Borough Asylum
Claybury	Redbridge	London	Fifth LCC Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Clifton	York	Yorkshire	City of York and North and East Ridings Joint Asylum
Coney Hill	Gloucester	Gloucestershire	Second Gloucestershire County Asylum
Darenth Park	Dartford	Kent	Metropolitan Asylums Board – Darenth Asylum and Schools
De La Pole	Willerby, Hull	Yorkshire	Kingston upon Hull Borough Asylum
Deva	Chester	Cheshire	First Cheshire County Lunatic Asylum
Digby	Exeter	Devon	Exeter City Lunatic Asylum
Exminster	Exeter	Devon	Devon County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Fairfield	Stotfold	Bedfordshire	Bedford Lunatic Asylum
Fair Mile	Cholsey	Berkshire	Berkshire Newbury and Reading Joint (Moulsford) Asylum
Forston	Charminster	Dorset	First Dorsetshire County Asylum
Friern	Barnet	Middlesex	Middlesex County Pauper Asylum, Colney Hatch
Fulbourn	Cambridge	Cambridgeshire	Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Joint Counties Asylum
Garlands	Carleton	Cumberland	Cumberland and Westmorland Joint Counties Asylum
Glanrhyd	Bridgend	Glamorgan	First Glamorgan County Asylum, Angleton
Glenside	Bristol	Gloucestershire	Bristol City Asylum
Goodmayes	Chadwell	Essex	West Ham Borough Lunatic Asylum
Graylingwell	Chichester	Sussex	West Sussex County Asylum
Haverfordwest	Haverfordwest	Pembrokeshire	Havefordwest Borough Asylum
Hellingly	Hellingly	Sussex	East Sussex Asylum
Hellesdon	Norfolk	Norfolk	Second (new) Norwich Borough Asylum
Herrison	Dorchester	Dorset	Second Dorset County Lunatic Asylum
High Royds	Menston	Yorkshire	West Riding Asylum
Hill End	St Albans	Hertfordshire	Hertfordshire County Asylum
Hollymoor	Birmingham	Warwickshire	Third Birmingham City Asylum
Horton	Epsom	London	Seventh London County Council Asylum
Horton Road	Gloucester	Gloucestershire	First Gloucestershire County Asylum
Hull	Kingston upon Hull	Yorkshire	Hull and East Riding Refuge
Kingsway	Derby	Derbyshire	Derby Borough Lunatic Asylum
Knowle	Fareham	Hampshire	First Hampshire County Lunatic Asylum
Lancaster Moor	Lancaster	Lancashire	First Lancashire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Leavesden	Abbots Langley	Hertfordshire	Metropolitan Asylums Board – Leavesden Imbecile Asylum
Leicestershire	Leicester	Leicestershire	First Leicestershire Asylum
Littlemore	Oxford	Oxfordshire	Oxfordshire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Long Grove	Epsom	London	Tenth London County Asylum
Manor	Epsom	London	Sixth London County Asylum
Mapperley	Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	Nottingham Borough Asylum
Maudsley	Camberwell	London	The Maudsley Neurological Clearing Hospital
Mendip	Wells	Somerset	Somerset And Bath County Asylum
Mid Wales	Talgarth	Breconshire	Mid Wales Counties Mental Hospital
Middlewood	Wadsley	Yorkshire	Second West Riding of Yorkshire County Asylum
Moorhaven	Plymouth	Devon	Plymouth Borough Asylum
Naburn	Fulford	Yorkshire	York City Asylum
Napsbury	St Albans	Middlesex	Second (new) Middlesex County Asylum
Netherne	Hooley	Surrey	Surrey County Asylum
North Wales	Denbigh	Denbighshire	North Wales Counties Lunatic Asylum
Norwich	Norwich	Norfolk	First (old) Norwich Borough Asylum
Oakwood	Maidstone	Kent	First Kent County Asylum
Parc	Bridgend	Glamorgan	Second Glamorganshire Asylum, Parc Gwyllt
Park Prewett	Sherborne St.John	Hampshire	Second Hampshire County Lunatic Asylum
Parkside	Macclesfield	Cheshire	Second Cheshire County Asylum
Pastures	Derby	Derbyshire	Derbyshire County Asylum
Pen-Y-Fal	Abergavenny	Monmouthshire	Joint Counties Lunatic Asylum
Powick	Powick	Worcestershire	First Worcestershire County Lunatic Asylum
Prestwich	Manchester	Lancashire	Second Lancashire County Asylum
Rainhill	Prescot	Lancashire	Third Lancashire County Asylum
Rauceby	Sleaford	Lincolnshire	Kesteven County Asylum
Roundway	Devizes	Wiltshire	Wiltshire County Asylum
Rubery Hill	Birmingham	Warwickshire	Second Birmingham Borough Asylum
Runwell	Chelmsford	Essex	Runwell Mental Hospital
Saxondale	Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	Second Nottinghamshire County Asylum
Scalebor Park	Burley In Wharfedale	Yorkshire	West Riding Private Asylum (Scalebor Park)
Severalls	Colchester	Essex	Second Essex County Asylum
Shelton	Shrewsbury	Shropshire	Shropshire and Wenlock Borough Lunatic Asylum
Shenley	Radlett	Middlesex	Third (new) Middlesex County Mental Hospital
Sneinton	Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	Nottingham Asylum
Springfield	Wandsworth	Surrey	Surrey County Asylum
St Andrew’s	Norwich	Norfolk	Norfolk County Lunatic Asylum
St Audry’s	Melton	Suffolk	Suffolk County Asylum for Pauper Lunatics
St Augustine’s	Chartham	Kent	Second Kent County Asylum
St Bernard’s	Ealing	Middlesex	Middlesex County Asylum/Hanwell Asylum
St Cadoc’s	Newport	Monmouthshire	Newport Borough Mental Hospital
St Clement’s	Ipswich	Suffolk	Ipswich Borough Mental Hospital
St Crispin	Duston	Northamptonshire	Northampton County Lunatic Asylum
St David’s	Carmarthen	Carmarthenshire	The United Lunatic Asylum for Cardigan, Carmarthen, Glamorgan and Pembroke
St Ebba’s	Epsom	London	Ewell Epileptic Colony
St Edward’s	Cheddleton	Staffordshire	Third Staffordshire County Asylum
St Francis	Haywards Heath	Sussex	Sussex County Asylum
St George’s (Stafford)	Stafford	Staffordshire	First Staffordshire County Lunatic Asylum
St George’s (Morpeth)	Morpeth	Northumberland	County Pauper Lunatic Asylum for Northumberland
St James’	Portsmouth	Hampshire	Portsmouth Borough Asylum
St John’s (Bracebridge Heath)	Bracebridge Heath	Lincolnshire	Lincolnshire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
St John’s (Stone)	Stone	Buckinghamshire	Buckinghamshire County Lunatic Asylum
St Lawrence’s	Bodmin	Cornwall	Cornwall County Lunatic Asylum
St Luke’s	Middlesbrough	Yorkshire	Middlesbrough Borough Asylum
St Martin’s	Canterbury	Kent	Canterbury Borough Asylum
St Mary’s (Burghill)	Burghill	Herefordshire	Herefordshire County Lunatic Asylum
St Mary’s (North Saltwick)	Stannington	County Durham	Gateshead Borough Asylum
St Matthew’s	Burntwood	Staffordshire	Second Staffordshire County Pauper Lunatic Asylum
St Nicholas’s	Coxlodge	Northumberland	Newcastle upon Tyne Borough Lunatic Asylum
Stanley Royd	Wakefield	Yorkshire	West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Stone House	Dartford	Kent	City of London Lunatic Asylum
Storthes Hall	Kirkburton	Yorkshire	Fourth West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum
The Towers	Humberstone	Leicestershire	Leicester Borough Lunatic Asylum
Tone Vale	Taunton	Somerset	Somerset County Asylum
Tooting Bec	Tooting	London	Metropolitan Asylums Board – Tooting Bec Asylum
Warley	Brentwood	Essex	Essex County Lunatic Asylum
Warlingham Park	Chelsham	Surrey	Croydon Borough Asylum
West Park	Epsom	London	Eleventh London County Mental Hospital
Whitchurch	Whitchurch	Glamorgan	Cardiff City Mental Hospital
Whitecroft	Newport (IOW)	Hampshire	Isle of Wight County Asylum
Whittingham	Preston	Lancashire	Fourth Lancashire County Asylum
Winterton	Sedgefield	County Durham	Durham County Asylum
Winwick	Warrington	Lancashire	Fifth Lancashire County Asylum

Other Institutions

Name	Type	Location	Managing County	Original Name
Ashworth Hospital	Criminal Asylum	Liverpool	Lancashire	Moss Side Hospital
Barnwood House Hospital	Private Asylum	Gloucester	Gloucestershire	Barnwood House Asylum
Bethel Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Norwich	Norwich	Bethel Hospital for Lunatics
Bethlem Royal Hospital	Subscription Asylum	London	London	The Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem; Our Lady of Bethlehem
Bethnal House Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Bethnal Green	London	Bethnal Green Asylum
Bootham Park Hospital	Subscription Asylum	York	Yorkshire	York Lunatic Asylum Asylum
Brentry Hospital	ex Inebriate Reformatory	Henbury	Gloucestershire	Brentry Colony for Inebriates
Broadmoor Hospital	Criminal Asylum	Crowthorne	Berkshire	Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum
Camberwell House Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Camberwell	London	Former Royal Naval School
Cheadle Royal Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Cheadle	Cheshire	Manchester’s Royal Lunatic Asylum
Coton Hill Hospital	Private Asylum	Stafford	Staffordshire	Coton Hill Institution for the Insane
Fountain Hospital	ex Fever Hospital	Tooting	London	Metropolitan Asylums Board – Fountain Fever Hospital
Grove Hall Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Bow	London	Grove Hall Establishment
Haydock Lodge Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Newton le Willows	Lancashire	Haydock Lodge Lunatic Asylum
Hoxton House Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Hoxton	London	Hoxton Madhouse
Mary Dendy Hospital	Certified Institution	Great Warford	Cheshire	Sandlebridge Boarding School and Homes
Middlefield Hall Hospital	Private Asylum	Knowle	Warwickshire	Midland Counties Asylum for Idiots and Imbeciles
Normansfield Hospital	Private Asylum	Kingston	London	Normansfield Private Asylum for Idiots
Old Manor Hospital	Private Madhouse	Salisbury	Wiltshire	Fisherton House Asylum for Lunatics
Peckham House Asylum	Licensed Madhouse	Peckham	London	Peckham House Lunatic Asylum
Princess Christian’s Hospital	Certified Institution	Hildenborough	Kent	Princess Christian’s Farm Colony
Rampton Hospital	Criminal Asylum	Retford	Nottinghamshire	Rampton Criminal Lunatic Asylum
Royal Albert Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Lancaster	Lancashire	Northern Counties Asylum for Idiots
Royal Earlswood Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Redhill	Surrey	Earlswood Asylum for Idiots
Royal Eastern Counties Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Colchester	Essex	Eastern Counties Asylum for Idiots
Royal Holloway Hospital	Private Asylum	Virginia Water	Surrey	St. Ann’s Heath Asylum
Royal Western Counties Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Starcross	Devon	Western Counties Idiot Asylum
St Andrew’s Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Northampton	Northamptonshire	Pauper and Private Asylum for Northampton
St Luke’s Hospital	Subscription Asylum	London	London	St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics
Stoke Park Hospital	Certified Instititution	Stoke Gifford	Gloucestershire	Stoke Park Colony for the Mentally Defective
The Coppice Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Nottingham	Nottinghamshire	The Coppice Private Asylum
The Lawn Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Lincoln	Lincolnshire	Lincoln Lunatic Asylum
The Retreat	Private Asylum	York	Yorkshire	The Retreat
Warneford Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Headington	Oxfordshire	Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum
Whittington Hall Hospital	Certified Institution	Chesterfield	Derbyshire	Whittington Hall Institution
Wonford Hospital	Subscription Asylum	Exeter	Devon	Bowhill House, St Thomas’ Hospital/ Wonford House Asylum

Scottish Asylums

This is a basic list of the Scottish District Asylums created as a result of the Lunacy (Scotland) Act, 1857. It’s work in progress at this stage and may not be 100% correct. We hope in time to add pages/more information as we get it. Please email us if you have any information that maybe of help!

Name	Built	Original Name
Glasgow City	1814
Crichton Royal	1839
Gartnavel	1843
Southern Counties	1849	Dumfries & Galloway District Asylum
Royal Cornhill	1852	Aberdeen District Asylum
Sunnyside Royal	1858	Montrose District Asylum
Craig Dunain	1864	Northern Counties Asylum
Argyll & Bute	1864	Argyll District Asylum
Ladysbridge	1865	Banff District Asylum
Herdmanflat	1866	Haddington District Asylum
Stratheden	1866	Fife & Kinross District Asylum
Bellsdyke	1869	Stirling District Asylum
Murthly	1871	Perth District Asylum
Dingleton	1872	Roxburgh, Berwick & Selkirk District Asylum
Rosslynlee	1874	East Lothian & Peebles District Asylum
Woodilee	1875	Barony Parochial Asylum
Ailsa	1878	Ayrshire District Asylum
Ravenscraig	1879	Greenock District Asylum
Royal Liff	1882	Dundee District Asylum
Hartwood	1895	Lanarkshire District Asylum
Leverndale	1895	Govan District Asylum
Gartloch	1896	Glasgow District Asylum
Bangour Village	1904	West Lothian District Asylum
Dykebar	1909	Renfrew District Asylum