But tragedy struck on November 29, 1952 after a fire broke out. [2], On 29 November 1957, a fire broke out in the tailor's workshop on the first floor of one of the buildings. You are using an out of date browser. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. The Queen's House was sold off in April 1997 and was soon then turned into residential use. Held in the Centre for Kentish Studies. The tunnels aren't completely sealed, they have left access for bats at bothends. Queens House, the chapel and St. Andrews House have been retained for housing, but the nursing home is still a nursing home.The hospital was served by a cemetery built between 1865 and 1896, which was extended at various times. Oakwood Hospital St Andrews Rd Maidstone, designed by John Whichcord Snr 1830. Was Oakwood an institution for chronic mentally ill patients in 1969 and could it be possible she . Once the extravagant escape of the Ford family, this enigmatic ruin now stands as a haunting reminder of its former glory. The asylum was intended to take in patients from across the entire county of Kent, which then stretched as far west as Greenwich. Google Maps At 10:00, the tower collapsed, killing four firemen, two nursing staff and a patient and injuring a number of people. December 4, and the Regional Hospital Board is arranging for an immediate investigation into the cause of the accident. The first 168 patients were admitted in 1833. It was far removed from the original meaning of the word asylum, as a sanctuary. Sorry this is just another urban myth. Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone, Kent. >>Nick Catford>Kent Underground Research Group (one of my other hats)>. Why bother to elect them when they can be delivered directly. St Augustine's, Chartham, near Canterbury. The location of Trench I was changed to avoid a service tunnel. The fire brigade arrived promptly and by 7.31am the fire was under control. Sign up to our daily newsletter for all the latest Kent stories and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Gate lodges and long drive to large ragstone 3 storey 5 bays with pedimented porch on tuscan columns of four storeys. Our dedicated team of physicians, nurses, therapists, aides and other healthcare professionals provide personalized and exceptional care that leads to shorter reco very times and more thorough . Held in the Centre for Kentish Studies.. Part of: Former site of Hermitage House at Oakwood Hospital (Monument). The Kent County Lunatic Asylum opened in Maidstone in 1833. The plot is 6292 if thats any help.Thanks very much>, http://www.aditnow.co.uk/uk-mining-regions/default.aspx?ref=51, Ormskirk Cottage Hospital & Dispensary / West Lancashire College Campus - Oct 2022. oakwood hospital maidstone tunnels. St Andrew's House, Oakwood Hospital, St Andrew's Road, Maidstone. Initially, his complaints were rejected, so he and another nurse put together a list of 70 occasions when patients were abused, neglected and degraded. Due to arson attacks during this time, the decision was made to demolish the Hermitage Block and other out-buildings. Because I have one possible lead on it. "In looking through the sleeping rooms we noticed that the patients who can be trusted are allowed to pass their nights in privacy without being watched or visited; others who need some little attention are visited by an attendant at intervals, and the record of the visit is registered by a telltale clock; while others of a suicidal or otherwise dangerous kind are kept constantly under observation. Oakwood Hospital was founded in Maidstone as the Kent County Lunatic Asylum. The inquest will open on Wednesday. Plans for a new hospital for Maidstone were approved in the mid-1970s and the site chosen was just to the north of the Oakwood Hospital. The remaining buildings have since been converted into apartments and are now privately owned. Maidstone - Goudhurst. By 1850 just before a new asylum wing, Queen's House, was added, the hospital could hold 443 patients. She was also buried here. (Just hope they got all the people off the bus if it is down there! Wow, that would be absolutely fascinating if it is all down there. SKE6440. [2] It was erected between 1829 and 1833 on a site in Barming Heath, just to the west of Maidstone. (Unpublished document). We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. The fire brigade was called at 06:40 and arrived four minutes later. Therefore, it is no surprise that such outdated medical practices and the hospitals that used to house the patients no longer exist. This closed in 1994 and has been converted for residential use. As a precaution some 340 patients have been moved, 132 to other hospitals. Although the fire was promptly put under control, a 115 foot ventilation tower suddenly collapsed during the clean-up operation and claimed six lives. Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone This page summarises records created by this Organisation The summary includes a brief description of the collection (s) (usually including the covering dates of. Evaluation at Oakwood Hospital, Maidstone. SKE7262. At its peak, the asylum held around 2,000. Now known as a residential estate, the history of the site dates back almost two centuries. Mention the word asylum in connection with people who have a mental illness and it conjures up all sorts of images. Curiously have just found article mentioning sandstone mines under Mote Park, wonder if there is any linkage..? The fire brigade arrived promptly and by 7.31am the fire was under control. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Blanche, Andrew, (20th cent), operator of a tunnel boring machine on the Channel Tunnel project; Blathwayt, William, (?1649-1717), statesman and civil servant; Bligh, John Stuart, (1827-1896), 6th Earl of Darnley ; A 10million extension was officially opened in 2012. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Lead or Rumour info - Maidstone tunnels updated? - 28DaysLater.co.uk The Maidstone Health Authority Operational Plan for 1984/85 (paragraph 4.2) states that the long term objective was to close the Oakwood Hospital. (Unpublished document). After closure there were a spate of arson attacks on the buildings and on 11 May 1997 work began to demolish the Hermitage Block and other unused buildings. "Some sleep in large dormitories, some in smaller rooms, and many in single-bedded apartments.". The reporter commented: "The entrance is from a road with a southern aspect, through a great gateway between which and the principal entrance is a wide intervening space planted with shrubs, trees, and flowers. The cemetery chapel remains, but it is unclear if the cemetery is still in use or when it may have gone out of use. The management was condemned, particularly for the way it used electroconvulsive therapy - passing electrical currents through the brain. *This relative died in Oakwood aged 86 years. Kent's forgotten lunatic asylum Oakwood Hospital - KentLive In the decades that followed there was a move towards de-institutionalisation. Register today and take advantage of membership benefits. Ashford - Maidstone. A tunnel from the local asylum to county hall? My brother and his mates walked them a few years ago under moat park via Cheshire home (the large listed building in the park.) It was constructed by A&C Harston and cost 88,750, according to workhouses.org.uk, a website created by Peter Higginbotham, who regularly contributes to hit BBC shows Who Do You Think You Are? Oakwood Hospital - Asylum Projects This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. I found the article again last week. Oakwood Park, Maidstone. This would lead to a reduction in patient numbers and a phasing out of functions to other hospitals. OAKWOOD HOUSE HOTEL - Prices & Reviews (Maidstone, Kent) - Tripadvisor Asylum Project explains: During the 1970s and 1980s there was a change in focus on the best way to treat the mentally ill and housing patients long-term in large institutions was falling out of favour. Now Open. Official MapQuest - Maps, Driving Directions, Live Traffic The Oakwood Hospital then became known as the Maidstone Hospital (Psychiatric Wing) and some of its functions began to be transferred across to the new hospital.". I have heard a variety of stories about a big network of tunnels underthe town of Maidstone in Kent. Unpublished document: CgMs Consulting. When the hospital was finally closed in the 1990s, its functions had already transferred to the new Maidstone hospital, located a short distance away. Unpublished document: Oxford Archaeological Unit. When the policy of keeping mentally-ill people in institutions for many years was ditched towards the end of the 1900s, and services were transferred to Maidstone Hospital, Oakwood was closed. 1998. The only evidence I can speak of is the road having collapsed on Heath Road a couple of months back. A view of a ward at Kent County Mental Hospital - Historic England Perhaps the most notorious of Kent's asylums, it was opened in 1875 after it became apparent that the existing institution at Barming was not big enough. All rights reserved. SKE6729. 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