Group    From /5/1868  To 1997

Normansfield Asylum

Categories: Children, Medicine

See Lost Hospitals of London for an excellent history of this hospital. Briefly: The White House, a mansion with 5 acres of grounds, was built in 1866.  Dr Langdon Down and his wife Mary bought it and named it Normansfield, after their solicitor (!).  It opened in May 1868 as a private asylum for children with mental health problems from upper class families.  The children were taught according to their abilities and the hospital expanded with new wings and out-buildings.  A splendid Entertainment Hall was built and opened in 1879 (still exists and is regularly open to the public).  By 1888 the hospital covered 40 acres.  The Langdon Down’s two sons both qualified in medicine, worked at Normansfield and took it over when their parents died in 1896-1900.

Normansfield transferred into the NHS in June 1951 but the family continued their involvement.  We have to mention that a grand-daughter married a neurologist, Dr Russell Brain (nominative determinism rules! - see Isambard Brunel for more examples).

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
Normansfield Asylum

Creations i

Dr John Langdon Down

We could not get close enough to take easily legible photographs and initiall...

Read More

Other Subjects

Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church itself was built in 1839 and quickly established its Sunday School, initially only for boys and in rented premises in Flood Street. Then Lord Cadogan donated the land directly opposit...

Building, Children, Education, Property

4 memorials
Action for Children

Action for Children

National children's charity. Founded by the Reverend Thomas Bowman Stephenson as 'The Children's Home'. Renamed 'National Children's Home' and adopted its present name in 2008. It originally provid...

Group, Benefactor, Children

2 memorials
Geoffrey Looker

Geoffrey Looker

Killed, aged 5, in the Downhills shelter WW2 tragedy, 19 September 1940.

Person, Children

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
P. L. Travers

P. L. Travers

Author. Born Helen Lyndon Goff in Maryborough, Queensland. She emigrated to England at the age of 25 and adopted the name Pamela Lyndon Travers whilst writing the Mary Poppins novels for which she ...

Person, Children, Literature, Australia

1 memorial
Oxford and St George’s Club / St George’s Settlement

Oxford and St George’s Club / St George’s Settlement

From University of Southampton: "Based in a disused hostel on 125 Cannon Street Road, the Oxford and St George’s Club began in 1914 with a membership of 25 boys. The Club got its name from Basil’s ...

Group, Children, Community / Clubs, Education

2 memorials