Shelton Hospital

Shelton Hospital
Established	1843
Opened	1845
Closed	2012
Current Status	Closed
Building Style	Corridor Plan
Architect(s)	G.G. Scott and W.B. Moffatt
Location	Shrewsbury
Alternate Names	Shropshire and Wenlock Borough Lunatic Asylum Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Bicton Heath County Asylum Salop Mental Hospital

History

Sir Baldwin Leighton was extremely influential in the conception and provision of care for the mentally ill people of Shropshire. He was a magistrate for the counties of Shropshire and Montgomery and was also a humanitarian who regularly pursued the improvement of provision for pauper lunatics. In January 1841 a quarter-session committee was formed to which Leighton was assigned; its aim was the provision of a pauper lunatic asylum. One of the key objectives of the Committee was to select a site for such a county institution and Leighton was very influential in selecting the site at Bicton Heath. During August and September Leighton devoted himself to travelling the country visiting various lunatic asylums inspecting their location and the conditions of care of the pauper patients. In July 1842 he proposed to the Shrewsbury Quarter Sessions the benefits of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire sharing the costs of the New Asylum.

Initially the motion failed because of language difficulties between English speaking and Welsh speaking patients. Another influential character was local physician Henry Johnson. Also a humanitarian. He was appointed general physician to the Royal Salop Infirmary (St. Mary's Place, Shrewsbury) in 1835 and accompanied the county magistrates as medical visitor on their inspection of the House if Industry at Kingsland, to which in 1833 had been added a provincial licensed house recieving private patients and paupers. Johnson became medical visitor to the New Shropshire Lunatic Asylum, and was also physician to the County gaol. The New Shropshire Lunatic Asylum was built between 1843-1845 on 15 acres of land belonging to the Parish of St. Julian.

The Asylum at Bicton Heath established in 1843 was originally for Shropshire alone. In 1844 the Borough of Wenlock was united by agreement. It was officially opened on 28th March 1845. In January 1846 overtures were made by Montgomeryshire proposing to join forces for asylum purposes, and in April of that year an agreement was entered into with that County. Henceforth the asylum was known as the Lunatic Asylum for the Counties of Salop and Montgomery, and for the Borough of Wenlock. From 1851-1863 the addition of Shrewsbury and Oswestry was made to the asylums title. In Shropshire, the county asylum, was a joint institution of which the Counties of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire and the Borough of Wenlock were owners and formed the management committee, while Shrewsbury and Oswestry had the use of it on payment of a capitation rent. In 1864 the asylums title reverts back to the Lunatic Asylum, for the Counties of Salop and Montgomery, and for the Borough of Much Wenlock.

In 1888 the duty of providing an Asylum was transferred to the County Council. In 1911 the agreement with Montgomery was dissolved (Montgomeryshires interest in the institution was bought out) and the asylum returned to being the Asylum for Shropshire and the Borough of Wenlock alone. By 1921 the asylum changed its title yet again to Salop Mental Hospital. In 1940 a tempory title for the emergency part of Salop Mental Hospital from 1940-1941 was the 'The Copthorne and Shelton Emergency Hospital' (Huts were built to care for up to 400 war casulaties). In 1948 the duty of providing an Asylum was transferred to the Regional Hospital Board. Around the summer of 1948 the title of Salop Mental Hospital changes to Shelton Hospital.

At its height the hospital was treating 1,000 patients, but now its role will be taken over by a new mental health village that has been built nearby. The listed red brick buildings and its landscaped grounds will be sold off after the hospital is closed.