Local Hospitals

Although Cane Hill was built as a hospital independent of others, it was connected in various ways with several other hospitals. These connections changed, strengthened and weakened over time, and as such I will not attempt to describe in detail the connections.

Cane Hill was built under the authority of the county of Surrey, and was built due to the requirements of the county.

Springfield in Tooting was the first Surrey Asylum, and was opened in 1841. When this filled up,  Brookwood in Woking opened, in 1867. Cane Hill was opened in 1883 when the two above asylums were full.

In 1889 Cane Hill came under the administration of the newly formed London County Council, which already had three asylums, at Hanwell (1828), Friern (1851) and Banstead (1871). Cane Hill was added to these three, and subsequent asylums were built at Claybury (1893) and Bexley (1898) to meet the needs of a growing population.

At Epsom in Surrey, 4 Asylums and one learning disabilities hospital were opened in very close proximity to each other. Horton (1899) could hold 2000 patients, as could West Park (1924) and Long Grove (1903). Manor Hospital (1899) was built as a temporary structure and was expanded on an ad hoc basis. It could hold 1500. St Ebbas (1903) was the Learning Disabilities hospital and could accomodate 1200 patients.

In 1907 The Maudsley opened for voluntary patients in London, and has always been administered by London authorities. In 1930, Bethlem Royal hospital moved to South London from it’s more central position, and worked in partnership with Cane Hill and The Maudsley from the 1960s.

In 1948, when the NHS took control of the country’s  Mental Hospitals and Asylums, the administration changed again. Cane Hill, Maudsley and Bethlem became more closely associated, and Cane Hill no longer had much to do with the former London Hospitals.

Although Netherne Hospital (1907) is situated just 4 miles from Cane Hill, they were never administered by the same body. Netherne was administered by the county of Surrey, but Cane Hill had been taken over by London. Upon the formation of the NHS, Netherne became associated with the Redhill Health Authority.