Talk: The History of Surrey’s Mental Hospitals

This talk traces the history of the care of people living with mental illness or learning disability in Surrey from the 18th century through to the 1990s.

This is a repeat of the talk hosted in 2024.

Using the records of Surrey’s earliest private asylums , county institutions at Springfield, Brookwood and Netherne, charitable foundations like Royal Earlswood and Holloway Sanatorium and the ‘Epsom Cluster’ of Horton, Long Grove, The Manor, St Ebba’s and West Park, Julian Pooley will tell the story of mental health care in Surrey. The talk presents medical records to uncover the hidden stories of patients and the care regime they experienced and draws on photographs, and other records rescued when these vast hospitals finally closed to explore daily life in a psychiatric institution over the course of three centuries.

A fascinating talk for anyone who is interested in the history of mental health care, in local or family history.

Speaker: Julian Pooley

Historian Julian Pooley F.S.A. is Public Services and Engagement Manager at Surrey History Centre and Honorary Visiting Fellow of the Centre for English Local History at the University of Leicester.

Tickets £10*

*A £2 ticket booking fee applies when booking online and in person. The booking fee covers costs charged to the charity for the booking system and payment processing.