Epsom Surrey had more mental hospitals than most English counties and, at Surrey History Centre, we are justly proud of the quantity and quality of surviving records we hold. These range from the early private asylums of the late eighteenth century through to the county asylums of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Many of these records were rescued by our archivists when the institutions were closed down in the 1990s, and they include the records of some of the ‘Epsom Cluster’ of hospitals. In 1896 the newly created London County Council, faced with the need to provide for huge numbers of the mentally ill, purchased the Horton Manor estate at Epsom and built five large hospitals. The Manor opened in 1899; Horton in 1902; Ewell Epileptic Colony, later St Ebba’s, in 1904; Long Grove in 1907; and West Park in 1924.

Among the extensive archive of The Manor hospital at Surrey History Centre is a wonderful collection of glass plate negatives of individual male and female patients dating back to 1899. The patients were photographed on admission to the hospital and many who recovered after treatment were often photographed again on discharge, showing a marked improvement in their demeanour.

These glass plates had been languishing in our strong rooms so, earlier this year, we started creating digital positive copies of some of the plates that are over one hundred years old. Once digitised, the images were identified by matching them to the photographic prints in the Manor Hospital patient case books. Sadly a few of the case books had not survived, so a number of images remained unidentified, but more of this later. Thanks to our volunteer, Brenda, we have now successfully digitised over 500 images which can be viewed by researchers in our searchroom. The names of the patients whose photographs have been identified are also available on our online catalogue.

This digitisation project was actually prompted by the work of the Epsom based Friends of Horton Cemetery. Their Out of Sight, Out of Mind project explores and commemorates the lives of some of the 9,000 Epsom Cluster patients buried in unmarked graves in the disused cemetery. More information about this fascinating project can be found on the Horton Cemetery website.

This has truly been a collaborative undertaking. Also working in partnership with Surrey History Centre and the Friends of Horton Cemetery is multimedia artist and medic, Dr Eric Fong. His work spans film, photography, sculpture, and installation, often exploring themes of the body, identity, and vulnerability. His moving and haunting Cyanotype Apparitions exhibition, using some of the Manor Hospital patient glass slides, won the London Independent Film Awards’ Best Experimental Short October 2024 award.

And here’s a fitting postscript: last month saw the recovery of one of the long-lost Manor Hospital patient case books, filling an important gap in the hospital’s record collection at Surrey History Centre. Discovered in an attic, this remarkable volume, spanning May 1900 to July 1901, records the medical histories of 250 women, complete with their personal details and poignant photographic portraits. And importantly, it has allowed us to identify some more of the unnamed glass plate images.

For more news from Surrey History Centre – read more here.

Image: glass plate negative of Caroline Appleton and William Smith

Surrey History Centre

Related reports:

Attic find fills gap in Epsom local asylum history

Portraits of pauper patients in Epsom’s Horton Cemetery, inspires artist

Petition to reclaim Horton Cemetery from property speculator

Bourne Hall Museum in Ewell, a cherished repository of local history, faces an uncertain future as its esteemed curator, Jeremy Harte, prepares for retirement in March 2025 after 35 years of dedicated service. Harte’s tenure has been marked by significant contributions, including the curation of approximately 17,000 artefacts and 45,000 photographs that represent the lives of tens of thousands of people who’ve lived in the area since the Ice Age.

Concerns have arisen within the heritage community regarding the museum’s continuity post-Harte’s departure. Jon Cotton, President of the Epsom and Ewell History and Archaeology Society, expressed apprehension over the Council’s succession planning, stating, “We fear that no such planning has been put in hand, and there is a growing belief that the Council intends to wind down its commitment to the Museum, its staff, premises and collections.”

Epsom and Ewell Times asked the Council: “Does EEBC intend to keep the museum open after Jeremy Harte’s retirement and is the Council actively recruiting a new curator?”

In response, Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of the Community and Wellbeing Committee (RA Ewell Village), affirmed the council’s commitment to the museum’s future, stating, “We are putting plans in place to determine how we will continue to run the museum into the future. There are currently no plans to close Bourne Hall Museum.”

Bourne Hall Museum has been instrumental in community engagement, recently participating in the national Kids in Museums ‘Takeover Day’ by collaborating with Ewell Grove Primary and Nursery School. This initiative, part of the council’s Arts, Culture and Heritage Strategy, aims to inspire local youth by providing hands-on museum experience.

As the museum approaches this transitional period, many remain hopeful that Bourne Hall Museum will continue to serve as a vital educational and cultural resource for future generations.

Related reports:

Bourne Hall’s Christmas Supremacy

Kids takeover Ewell’s Bourne Hall

Ewell History Day returns to Bourne Hall

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has seen a lot of famous faces over the years. Several members of the Royal Family have attended the Academy. Sir Winston Churchill graduated in 1894, Field Marshal Montgomery in 1908. The Academy is so respected that many countries send their military personnel there for training, making it one of the top military schools in the world.

But, how much do we really know about the origins of Sandhurst?

Local author and historian Paul Le Messurier has been a resident of Epsom for several years now. His latest book, Founder of Sandhurst, Maj-Gen John Le Marchant, tells the remarkable story of the British cavalry officer who started what has now become one of this country’s great institutions.

John Gaspard Le Marchant (1766-1812) was a French-born British cavalry officer who rose to prominence despite starting from humble beginnings. The son of a Guernsey father and a French mother, he joined the British Army at just 16. Through sheer skill and determination, he rose to become one of the most distinguished cavalry officers of his generation.

Le Marchant’s first taste of active service came during the French Revolutionary Wars, where he served as a captain in a cavalry unit during the ill-fated Flanders campaign. A skilled swordsman, it was here that he noticed that the British Army’s sword training was seriously lacking. Determined to make a difference, he designed a new cavalry sabre, wrote manuals on swordsmanship, and took it upon himself to train cavalrymen across the country.

Even then, he was still not satisfied and set his sights on an even grander and more ambitious attempt at reform: improving the overall standard and education of army officers.

Le Marchant’s idea for a military academy to professionally train army officers met with some initial resistance, but he eventually won royal and political backing. In 1801, Parliament approved his plans and allocated a budget of £30,000. The Royal Military College was established by Royal Warrant, initially based in High Wycombe and Marlow, with Le Marchant serving as its first Lieutenant-Governor. The college would later move to its prestigious location at Sandhurst.

In 1811, Le Marchant joined the Duke of Wellington’s army in the Peninsular War against Napoleon’s forces, taking command of a Heavy Cavalry brigade. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Salamanca, where he led one of the most successful cavalry charges of the campaign. Sadly, Le Marchant was killed in action during the battle at the age of 46. A memorial was erected in his honour at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The Royal Military Academy’s motto today is ‘Serve to Lead,’ and that is exactly what Le Marchant did – both with the ground-breaking reforms he introduced and his bold leadership on the battlefield. Despite his many achievements, Le Marchant remains relatively unknown today. Paul Le Messurier’s engaging book seeks to change that, shedding light on the powerful and lasting impact Le Marchant had on the British Army.

Royal Military Academy photo: Antony McCallum – https://www.wyrdlight.com

Last Friday saw the return of a singular missing hospital record book. The book contains the medical case book of women admitted to The Manor Hospital between 19 May 1900 and 11 July 1901. This was one of five psychiatric hospitals established by the London County Council at Horton near Epsom at the start of the twentieth century. A treasure trove for family and social historians, the volume records the names, family details and medical notes of 250 London women living with a range of mental illness, with their photographic portraits fixed to its fragile pages. These poignant records allow a precious glimpse of the lives and experiences of women admitted to these vast Victorian pauper asylums. Julian Pooley of the Surrey History Centre rescued many of The Manor’s records after its closure in 1995, case book number 4 was not among them. It’s discovery in an attic in the London Borough of Kingston gives hope that other missing records from Surrey’s former mental and learning disability hospitals may yet come to light. 

The couple who found the book in their attic realised its significance when watching Gemma Collins discover her family’s mental health history in a recent episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are’. Having read the case histories and been fascinated by the patient photographs, they got in touch with Epsom based charity The Friends of Horton Cemetery.

Lead researcher for the charity, Kevin McDonnell said: “”This discovery of Manor Asylum – Case Book No. 4 is of immense historical value, especially for our project. I’m grateful to you for preserving it. It will now find a home at the Surrey History Centre in Woking, where it will be accessible to our team of volunteer genealogical researchers. This document is critical to our mission to protect Horton Cemetery in Epsom, where nearly 9,000 unclaimed mental health patients were laid to rest between 1899 and 1955. These graves, left unmarked and forgotten, tell stories that we’re working to bring back to life. The cemetery, sadly, has been neglected and mistreated since it was sold to a property speculator in 1983. It’s a disgraceful situation for such a sacred resting place, now overgrown and scattered with rubble, and this important find helps highlight the significance of the lives laid to rest there.”

Surrey History Centre was delighted to find that it filled such an important gap in the surviving records. Now preserved in the History Centre’s strong rooms, it can be made publicly available for research and a range of community engagement projects.  

Eric Fong is a multimedia artist whose work spans film, photography, sculpture, and installation, often exploring themes of the body, identity, and vulnerability. His unique approach is informed by his background as a former medical doctor, merging art with science and technology.

His latest project, Apparitions, is a series of cyanotype portraits derived from Victorian-era glass plate negatives of pauper patients from the Manor Hospital (part of the Epsom cluster). These haunting images were salvaged after being abandoned in the 1990s and now reside at Surrey History Centre. Fong’s cyanotypes, toned with ivy leaves gathered from the burial site of Horton Cemetery, symbolise the connection between the patients’ bodies and overgrown landscape. This project reclaims the dignity of these long-forgotten individuals and encourages a reflection on mental illness both in the past and today.

You can also view cyanotypes of found Victorian needlework, referencing those made/mended/worn by female patients in Victorian asylums through his Asylum Needlework project.

Keeping with the Asylum photograph theme, Us and Them led by Alana Harris (Department of History at Kings College London), creatively re-imagined 19th-century asylum photographs to highlight issues surrounding disability and challenge how people with disabilities have been portrayed over time.

In partnership with Surrey History Centre, the project unearthed archival photographs taken in local psychiatric institutions and paired them with newly commissioned portraits of the disabled artists. Guided by portrait photographer Emma Brown and oral historian Laura Mitchison, the artists used historical photographic techniques to create new images that provoke questions about ableism, mental health, and representation.

The project culminated in a public exhibition at The Horton Arts Centre in Epsom, where the new and historical photographs were displayed side by side. The exhibition opened to great public interest, sparking important discussions around disability and inclusion.

Surrey History Centre read more….

Read more from Surrey History Centre HERE.

Text and image courtesy Surrey History Centre

World Fun Fair Month aims to unite Showmen from around the world to celebrate all aspects of fairgrounds, and the joy they bring to communities everywhere, find out more with the Future4Fairgrounds website. Don’t forget to check out our social media as we’ll have more posts running throughout September to celebrate World Fun Fair Month.

Fairs have been part of Surrey’s history for centuries and the origins of many can be traced back to charters and privileges granted in medieval times. Surrey History Centre holds a wealth of sources for fairground history including photographs, illustrations, and published works. Without a doubt, our key fairground collection is that of Fairground enthusiast, Philip Bradley of Ewell, who spent his life compiling a written and photographic record of every fair he visited from 1936 until his death in 1999. He amassed 30,000 photographs of fairs across the country and was highly regarded by showmen and fairground people. His collection provides an invaluable history of twentieth century fairgrounds (Surrey History Centre reference 6790). You can find out more about Philip Bradley and his archive on our Exploring Surrey’s Past website.

This Bradley photograph shows features the glamorous and daring ‘Wall of Death’ display riders Patsy Kelly, Bobbie Hall and Gene Dare, known as “The Bombshells”, on their motorbike at Guildford Fair, 6th May 1939, just a couple of months before the start of the Second World War (Philip Bradley Collection, Surrey History Centre reference 6790/4/2).

Fairs during Wartime

During wartime, fairs were affected by blackout restrictions and limited supplies of food, fuel and ‘swag’. Coconut shies became rare as coconuts took up valuable shipping space and rifle ranges were deprived of ammunition. Music was also muted in case it drowned out the air raid alert. Many showmen’s engines were used for demolition work clearing debris from blitzed cities and demolishing unstable buildings, especially in areas of severe bomb damage in Merseyside, Manchester and London. Find out more about fairs during wartime.

Surrey History Centre

_{Image: Philip Bradley seated in an Orton & Spooner ‘Whale Car’ at Butlins Ltd, Florence Park, Oxford, 28 Aug 1943 (Philip Bradley Collection, Surrey History Centre reference 6790/4/8).}

09/10/2024 17:30 – 18:45      From Patient to Professor

Online Zoom Talk

Dan Jacobson was a teenage inpatient at Long Grove Psychiatric Hospital for four months in the years just before its closure in the 1990s. This talk will explore the geography and history of the Epsom Cluster of psychiatric hospitals, weaving together his personal and professional journey – from a patient to becoming a professor. What was it like on the wards of the hospital? Dan is going to discuss negotiation and treatment for mental illness. These experiences will be used to reflect on his ongoing research into the changes to the landscape within and surrounding the former hospital sites. 

Dan Jacobson, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Calgary, Canada.

Cost: £6
96 spaces available – book this event

The Assembly Rooms pub, in Epsom, is reopening at 8am on Tuesday 3 September, following an extensive refurbishment project, costing £1.375 million. The Mayor of Epsom and Ewell Councillor Steve Bridger (RA Stamford) will officially open the pub on the day.

The Assembly Rooms is a Grade II listed building. It was built around 1692, during a period when Epsom was renowned for its spa and as a fashionable retreat for the wealthy and aristocratic. The original purpose of the Assembly Rooms was to provide a venue for social gatherings, balls, and entertainment for those visiting the town to enjoy its spa waters.

The building is noted for its classical architectural style, which reflects the aesthetics of its time. It features a symmetrical façade and large windows, typical of Georgian architecture, intended to create an elegant and welcoming space. Inside, the building originally boasted a grand ballroom, which would have been used for dances and social events.

The Epsom Protection Society was active in ensuring the survival of one of the Borough’s premier historic buildings.

With the decline in the popularity of Epsom’s spa by the mid-18th century, the Assembly Rooms underwent several changes in usage. It adapted to meet the evolving needs of the local community and continued to serve as a venue for various events, including public meetings, concerts, and theatrical performances. There followed a period of retailing uses and emptiness until 1966 when it served as the offices of the National Counties Building Society.

Now a pub, first opened as a Wetherspoon in April 2002, it has been completely refurbished over the Summer months. The customer area has also undergone a full refurbishment, as well as the relocation and upgrade to the bar area, including an upgrade to the drinks dispense equipment.

The pub has been fully redecorated throughout, including the installation of a bespoke new carpet and additional furniture. Customer area air conditioning has been upgraded, customer toilets repaired and redecorated, and new artwork added to the customer area. External signage and lighting have also been replaced and upgraded.

(New interior photographed)

Behind the scenes, the kitchen facilities and equipment has been upgraded, with an open gantry food hoist room, as well as new staff facilities created.

The Assembly Rooms pub will be open from 8am until 12 midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 8am until 1am Friday and Saturday.  Food will be served throughout the day, from opening until 11pm every day.

The pub will be open for family dining, with children, accompanied by an adult, welcome in the pub until 9pm, throughout the week.

Pub manager Sel Devecioglu said: “The £1.375 million investment highlights Wetherspoon’s commitment to the pub and its staff and customers, as well as to Epsom itself. We are delighted that we have also been able to create 15 new jobs for local people. The team are looking forward to welcoming customers back into The Assembly Rooms and we’re confident that they will be impressed by the new-look, upgraded pub.”

Surrey-based author Matt Graydon brings a powerful new perspective on World War II with his latest novel, Leaving Fatherland. Drawing from real-life family events, Graydon takes readers on a journey with protagonist Oskar, from his troubled childhood in Nazi Germany to his search for identity in New York City.

The novel is inspired by the wartime experiences of his German uncle, whose crash in the North African desert during the war had become family legend. This personal connection infuses Leaving Fatherland with authenticity and emotional depth, making it a significant addition to historical fiction.

Published by Cranthorpe Millner on August 20th, 2024, Leaving Fatherland stands out for its detailed portrayal of life in the Luftwaffe and the harrowing aftermath of war. Graydon’s protagonist, Oskar, endures an abusive childhood, a turbulent war, a failed marriage, and forty years of research, all in search of understanding his father’s violence. This narrative, steeped in meticulous research and family history, offers readers a poignant exploration of how the past shapes our identity.

Graydon, who resides in Surrey with his family and a lively cockapoo, has a rich background in journalism and public relations, skills that have significantly contributed to his historical research and storytelling. He is an active member of the Phoenix Writing Group in Dorking and the UK’s Society of Authors, continuously enriching Surrey’s literary community.

Early reviews praise Leaving Fatherland for its thorough research and compelling storytelling. Kirkus highlights the novel’s exploration of family loyalty and ethics, while renowned historian Iain MacGregor lauds it as a deeply honest family drama spanning continents and decades.

Fellow authors and historians, including Anna Stuart and Louise Fein, commend Graydon’s compassionate and thought-provoking narrative. The book has been described as immersive and cinematic by award-winning filmmaker Andi Reiss, and as a moving family story by Jenny Towey of the Anglo-German Family History Society.

Leaving Fatherland (ISBN: 978-1-80378-209-6) is available in paperback (£12.99) and eBook formats from August 20th, 2024.

John Bates, grandson of Beatrice Bates, travelled over 10,000 miles from Australia to Horton Cemetery in Epsom to pay his respects to Beatrice. His grandmother is one of 9000 buried in Europe’s largest and now abandoned asylum cemetery. The Friends of Horton Cemetery continue to battle to retrieve this important graveyard from a property speculator. A petition, already signed by over 1200 supporters, calls on Epsom and Ewell Borough Council to change its damaging opinion that the Cemetery is “amenity woodland”.

Here is John Bates’ personal account of his May 2024 pilgrimage from Adelaide to Epsom.

In loving memory of Beatrice Miriam Bates, a woman of enduring strength and grace, whose life
and legacy continue to resonate deeply within our family. Beatrice’s journey came to an end in 1933
at West Park Hospital in Epsom, Surrey, leaving behind a mystery that lingered for decades. It was
a personal mission of mine to uncover the truth of her final resting place, a mission that revealed
not only her burial site but also a profound connection to our family’s history.

Beatrice Miriam Bates was laid to rest in Horton Cemetery, a place that, despite the passage of
time, faced the threat of being erased by development. Discovering her burial site through ancestry
records was a pivotal moment, one that brought closure to our family and deepened our
understanding of Beatrice’s life. Horton Cemetery, overgrown and largely forgotten by many, stands
as a testament to the lives of those who came before us, including Beatrice.

In 2024, ninety-one years after Beatrice’s passing, I made a personal pilgrimage from Australia to
Horton Cemetery. Walking around the overgrown grounds, I felt the weight of history and the
importance of preserving this sacred space. The memorial at the entrance stands as a solitary
guardian of the memories held within, a symbol of resistance against the encroaching tide of
development.

The ‘Friends of Horton Cemetery’ have been instrumental in championing the cause to protect this
site. Their dedication ensures that the stories of those buried there, including Beatrice’s, are
remembered and honoured. It is a cause that resonates deeply with me, as I believe in the
importance of preserving Horton Cemetery for all the souls who rest there and for the relatives who
seek a connection to their past.

Beatrice’s story, accessible to all through the efforts of the ‘Friends of Horton Cemetery,’ shines a
light on her resilience and spirit. Her life, though marked by challenges, is a testament to the
courage and strength that define our family. Her memory serves as a beacon, guiding us to cherish
our heritage and to honour the lives of those who came before us.

As we reflect on Beatrice’s life, we are reminded of the importance of family, history, and the
relentless pursuit of truth. Her legacy is a testament to the enduring power of love and
remembrance. Through the efforts to preserve Horton Cemetery, Beatrice and all those resting there
are given the respect and recognition they deserve.

In honour of Beatrice Miriam Bates, let us continue to share her story and all the stories of those
buried in Horton Cemetery and protect the places that hold our collective memories. Her spirit lives
on in each of us, a symbol of resilience and hope for generations to come.

Rest in peace, dear Beatrice. Your story will never be forgotten.

With all our love,

Your Grandson…. John E. M. Bates.

Beatrice Bates full story can be read on The Friends of Horton Cemetery website HERE