Calderstones, Brockhall , Langho Colony

steeljack · 01-03-2010, 17:59

Anyone know why the Ribble valley had so many asylums in one area , seem to remember they were originally built for the wounded after WW1 ( sure Retlaw will know the history about this). Just seems to be a lot of beds for one area considering there were other places as well , think there was also a place near Longridge as well (Wittingham sp?)

Neil · 01-03-2010, 18:30

Its because they could not afford to build them in Hyndburn but needed loads of spaces for Hyndburn residents

Its the same reason Chaigley Manor is in the Ribble Valley

wadey · 01-03-2010, 18:30

I always thought they were built by the big cities like Manchester and Salford

wadey · 01-03-2010, 18:34

A sixth County Asylum for Lancashire, at Whalley, was commenced in 1912, at an estimated cost of £375,000.
Whalley Asylum

wadey · 01-03-2010, 18:37

The National Archives | Search the archives | Hospital Records| Details

flashy · 01-03-2010, 18:39

just been talking to the strange man next door and from what he knows Brockhall opened in 1913 and was originally built for drunkards, it opened up as just one building (which was to become the Admin block)

Langho Coloney was originally owned by Manchester and was for epileptics

Whittingham was a mental hospital too

and mi dad says that there was also one across from the Petre Arms at one time

wadey · 01-03-2010, 18:42

"The Lancashire Asylums Board was established in 1891, by the county council and all fifteen of the county boroughs. Ten years later the Lancashire Inebriates Acts Board was established, but the County Borough of Oldham did not participate. The Inebriates Acts Board built a reformatory at Brockhall (in the Ribble Valley, but its function gradually changed and by 1920 it was a certified institution for mental defectives. 1925 saw the dissolution of the Inebriates Acts Board and the Asylums Board became the Lancashire Mental Hospitals Board."
Index of Lunatic Asylums and Mental Hospitals

flashy · 01-03-2010, 18:42

its no wonder i'm off my head really, my dad worked at Brockhall, my mum did, my auntie did, 2 of my uncles and my dads cousin did

wadey · 01-03-2010, 18:44

Calderstones Hospital
Mitton Road, Whalley, Clitheroe, BB7 9PE
Opened 1915: by Lancashire Asylums Board, but used during world war one as Queen Mary's Military Hospital
Dual Pavilion
1921 Calderstones Certified Institution for Mental Defectives
Or Whalley Asylum (Mental Defectives)
Calderstones Hospital (by 1929 - 1993) In 1971 it had an average of 1,710 beds available and 1,631 resident patients.

Brockhall Hospital (See Lancashire Asylums Board) was approximately two miles from Calderstones Hospital in the Ribble Valley. It opened as The Lancashire Inebriate Reformatory in 1904. It became Brockhall Hospital for Mental Defectives in 1915, Brockhall Hospital for the Mentally Subnormal in 1959, and Brockhall Hospital for Mentally Handicapped People in 1974. In 1971 it had an average of 1,844 beds available and 1,800 resident patients. Steve Wright worked there as a nurse from 1981 until 1985. During that time there where still children at Brockhall and approximately 1000 people lived there in total. It became Brockhall Hospital for People with Learning Disabilities in 1991, but closed in 1992.
As Above

Tealeaf · 01-03-2010, 19:58

Remember that up until 1974, Lancashire (administrative) County encompassed an awful lot of what is now Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the Southern Lakes; remember also there was no NHS at the time these facilities were established. Health management relied upon local hospital boards across the region which nevertheless followed national guidelines on the treatment of 'mental defectives'. the policy was to place these unfortunate individuals in what was then regarded as state of the art facilities in semi-rural environments outside the muck and grime of the major urban conurbations.

Having said that, I worked in Calderstones back in the summer of '78; It was just after the place hit headline news because some of it's female residents had been put on the pill, whether they liked it or not. I do recall that there were a number of older female residents - well into their 70's & '80's - who were only there because in the 1920's they had dared to have a child outside of wedlock. After all those years, they had become so institutionalised; it would have become a crime to let them out into the wider community.

Neil · 01-03-2010, 20:36

I still think my reply is the most accurate so far

turkishdelight · 01-03-2010, 21:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

Anyone know why the Ribble valley had so many asylums in one area , seem to remember they were originally built for the wounded after WW1 ( sure Retlaw will know the history about this). Just seems to be a lot of beds for one area considering there were other places as well , think there was also a place near Longridge as well (Wittingham sp?)

Whitingham is still there named Guild Lodge.

wadey · 01-03-2010, 21:59

Greaves Hall on the road into Southport was a huge place

jaysay · 02-03-2010, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy

its no wonder i'm off my head really, my dad worked at Brockhall, my mum did, my auntie did, 2 of my uncles and my dads cousin did

Thats why your as nutty as a fruit cake shaz

in the nicest possible way of course

jaysay · 02-03-2010, 09:27

I actually served my time as a joiner near to Calderstones and actually worked with a number of male nurses who worked on their days of on our site, and before you start shut it Neil