BBC News Magazine – Broadmoor Hospital: Inside a Victorian ‘lunatic asylum’
The BBC news website has posted a slideshow about the history, and future, of Broadmoor Hospital. It’s now 150 years since the Hospital (or Asylum as it was originally) opened to both male and female patients.
Views of Broadmoor
The postcard is undated, but the various images on this card are shown on the Frith site as being taken in 1910: “Female Quarters”, “Female Entrance”, “Entrance”, “Male Quarters” and “The Terrace”. There have certainly been some changes since it was issued!
Crowthorne, Lower Broadmoor: Frith no. 78039
Franked Crowthorne, Berks, unreadable date. The Frith website lists the photo as “Lower Broadmoor 1925, Crowthorne”
This road is now known as Chaplain’s Hill. The houses are still there, and there are some garages as well now. The trees in the centre aren’t there any more, having at some point been removed to provide a small parking area.
Crowthorne Church and Cross, Frith no: 65794
The postcard is undated.
The Frith website lists the photo as “Church And Cross 1914, Crowthorne″.
Wellington College, Front Entrance
The postcard is undated.
Dukes Ride and the West Gates, Wellington College, Crowthorne, Frith no: 81589
This is the main entrance into Wellington College. I think I once read that the gates get their name not from their location, but because they were given to the College by the West family. (more…)
Drive Entrance, Pinewood Sanatorium, Wokingham, Berks
The Pinewood Leisure Centre, as it’s now known, is in Wokingham Without rather than in Crowthorne. I believe Pinewood Sanatorium was set up as a TB hospital for patients from London. In World War II it was a US Air Force hospital. In the 1970s the site began being used to house various locals sports clubs and groups. It now houses gym, judo, boxing, shooting, tug-of-war and model railways clubs (amongst others). It also has a mini railway and allotments.
High Street, Crowthorne. CNE.95
Though still very recognisable as Crowthorne High Street, the road today is much changed – there’s speed bumps, more traffic, a bench & planter near the lamp post, and the shops have all changed. The delicatessen on the left is now Crowthorne Cycles (and has been for many years), the H.F. Money building has been replaced by a 1970s(?) building housing a charity shop, a pharmacy, and This ‘n’ That, and Sworder’s greengrocers shop became Monica’s clothes shop in (I think) the early-mid 1980s.
The large building with the awning has long been C.T. Bell’s electrical shop, though whether it was when this picture was taken, I don’t know.
untitled card
The back of the card has a handwritten title “Nov 19th 1914, 1st Batt the Crowthorne Wounded”, along with a list of names of the people pictured. I don’t know where the picture was taken.
