Oakwood Hospital
| Oakwood Hospital | |
|---|---|
 St Andrew's House, Oakwood Hospital | |
  Location within Kent | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Maidstone, Kent, England, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°16′9″N 0°29′7″E / 51.26917°N 0.48528°E |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS England |
| Type | Psychiatric hospital |
| History | |
| Opened | 1833 |
| Closed | 1994 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
Oakwood Hospital in Barming Heath near Maidstone, England was a psychiatric hospital founded in 1833 as the Kent County Lunatic Asylum. Following transfer of services to Maidstone Hospital, Oakwood closed in 1994 and was then developed as a residential estate known as St Andrew's Park.
History
Construction and expansion
The Oakwood Hospital was founded as the "Kent County Lunatic Asylum" in 1833.
As the asylum expanded, additions and extensions were made to this building until it had reached maximum potential capacity. In 1850 an additional building, known as The Queen's House, was built on newly acquired land at the site. This building was also designed by the architect John Whichcord Snr.[4]
In the mid-nineteenth century, the superintendent of the asylum was Dr James Huxley (1821-1907), the elder brother of Thomas Henry Huxley, the evolutionary biologist and friend of Charles Darwin.[5]
Further expansion took place between 1867 and 1872 with the building of the third asylum block (also known as the Hermitage Block).[2]
On 29 November 1957, a fire broke out in the tailor's workshop on the first floor of one of the buildings. The
Closure and redevelopment
Following the introduction of
Gallery
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Rear of St Andrew's House 2000 – Photograph taken by Oxford Archaeological Unit. -
Rear of St Andrew's House 2009 -
Detached Refractory Ward of St Andrew's House 2000 – Photograph taken by Oxford Archaeological Unit. -
Detached Refractory Ward of St Andrew's House 2009 -
Front of St Andrew's House 2000 – Photograph taken by Oxford Archaeological Unit. -
Front of St Andrew's House 2009
Other notes
The word 'barmy' (meaning 'mad' or 'foolish') is popularly said to come from 'Barming' with allusion to the Hospital,[4][11] but the Oxford English Dictionary records that it stems from the Old English word 'barm' meaning 'froth on fermenting malt'.[12]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ "Index of Lunatic Asylums and Mental Hospitals". www.studymore.org.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Oakwood". County Asylums. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-84563-116-1.
- ^ a b Gibbs, Rosie (16 December 2000). "Madhouse comes to its senses". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "Oakwood". Kent Messenger. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone (Accident)". Hansard. 2 December 1957. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "St Andrew's House at Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "Queens House at Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "The Beeches at Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "Gate and Lodges of Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor (Editors) The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, p. 1256, at Google Books
- ^ Maurice Waite (Editor) Pocket Oxford English Dictionary, p. 65, at Google Books
Bibliography
- A History Of Oakwood Hospital 1828-1982 Kent County Council ISBN 0-905155-45-9
- Queen's House, Oakwood Hospital: Building Investigation Oxford Archaeological Unit 1998
- St Andrew's House, Oakwood Hospital: Historic Buildings Report Oxford Archaeological Unit 2002
- Archive collection held at the Centre For Kentish Studies in Maidstone
External links
