CATERHAM HOSPITALS

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: H23
Held at	: London Metropolitan Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma ›
Full title	: CATERHAM HOSPITALS
Date(s)	: 1868-1999
Level of description	: Collection View subfonds/series records
Extent	: 29.69 linear metres
Name of creator(s)	: Caterham Emergency Hospital Caterham Dene Mental Hospital xx Metropolitan District Asylum xx Metropolitan Imbecile Asylum xx Caterham Asylum | 1870 - 1920 xx Caterham Mental Hospital | 1920 - 1941 xx St Lawrence's Hospital | 1941- 1980 xx Caterham and District | 1981 - 1986

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Caterham Asylum was opened on 9 October 1870. From 1913 the Metropolitan Asylums Board became officially responsible for many mentally defective children (under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913). Caterham received untrainable boys over the age of 8 when they left the Fountain Mental Hospital, Tooting, as well as other children such as semi-educable ones not up to the standard of Darenth Training Colony. Caterham had a large proportion of older patients and many who had been there a long time who had little chance of recovery. By 1930, the hospital had 2068 beds. After 1930 Caterham Asylum, known as Caterham Mental Hospital since 1920, was run by the London County Council. In 1941 it was renamed Saint Lawrence's Hospital. In 1948 Saint Lawrence's Hospital was taken over by the South West Metropolitan Regional Board who administered the hospital until 1974. Under NHS reorganisation the hospital was administered by the South West Thames Regional Health Authority. Between 1974 and 1982 it was in the Croydon Area Health Authority; in 1982 it became part of the Croydon District Health Authority. In April 1991 Saint Lawrence's Hospital became part of Lifecare NHS Trust.

During the Second World War, 448 beds were set aside at Saint Lawrence's Hospital for use by the Emergency Medical Service, as Caterham Emergency Hospital. These were used for the treatment of both military and civilian casualties. Use of the beds returned to Saint Lawrence's in 1944.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of Saint Lawrence's Hospital, 1870-1990 and Caterham Emergency Hospital, 1940-1944. Papers include patient records, minutes, reports, staff magazines and papers regarding the history of the Hospital.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

In 2 sections: H23/SL: Saint Lawrence's Hospital and H23/CE: Caterham Emergency Hospital.

Conditions governing access:

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 1998.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright: Depositor.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Material received in 11 accessions between 1986 and 2012.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
February 2009