Prudhoe Hospital
| Prudhoe Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1913 |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Closed | 2005 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Prudhoe, Northunberland |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Colonel Swan died in 1908 and his descendants sold the Hall and estate consisting of various cottages and 140 acres of grounds for £13,000 to the Poor Law Guardians in 1913 and it became Prudhoe Hall Colony, a home for mental defectives, as it was known in those days.
A school was part of the Hospital from its earliest days. A purpose-built school (the Isobel Wilson School) was opened in 1962 and was probably the largest hospital school for the mentally handicapped in England. In 1973, under Mr G Dale as headmaster, the staff consisted of a deputy head teacher, two heads of department, twenty one teachers and two auxiliaries. The Isobel Wilson School closed in 1984.
The outbreak of war in 1914 prevented any extension until between 1919 and 1924 when six units were completed. Between the wars the hospital progressed and in 1939 had 561 patients. In 1948 it came into the National Health Service. Also in that year Monkton Hall at Jarrow was added and the hospital was now called The Prudhoe and Monkton Hospital. In 1955 Earls House Sanatorium in Durham was transferred to the hospital. By 1963 the whole group held 1563 patients. By the 70s, it was the fifth-largest mental hospital in the country, with nearly 1,000 staff and 1,500 patient beds. Four hundred children were based in the Children’s Village.
The hospital housed fewer patients in 1992 and many of the newer buildings were empty. In accordance with Government policy patients were being moved out of hospital and into the community and in 1994 when the hospital joined with Northgate Hospital, Morpeth and became a Trust, there were approximately 500 patients. Today, the site is being redeveloped for housing.
Images
Main Image Gallery: Prudhoe Hospital
