Priory Hospital
| The Priory Hospital | |
|
Surrey | |
|---|---|
 The Priory Hospital | |
| Type: | Hospital |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ21537519 |
| Location: | 51°27’46"N, 0°15’7"W |
| Town: | Roehampton |
| History | |
| Built 1811 | |
| Hospital | |
| Strawberry Hill Gothic | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Priory Group |
| Website: | priorygroup.com |
The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory,[1] is a private mental health hospital in Roehampton in north-western Surrey. It was built as a private country house, known as Lee Priory, in 1811: the hospital was founded here in 1872. The hospital is now part of the Priory Group.
The main building, the original country house, is a Grade II listed building,[2] built in the distinctive 'Strawberry Hill Gothic' style.
The Priory has an international reputation and, because of the number of celebrities who have sought treatment there typically for drink and drug addiction, bringing widespread coverage in the press. The hospital treats mild to moderate mental health issues, such as stress and anxiety, through outpatient treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy as well as in-patient care for more severe psychiatric illness such as depression, psychotic illness, addictions or eating disorders. It has residential facilities for 107 patients.
Building
The Priory operates from a the Grade II listed house which was originally kbnown as Lee Priory, in Roehampton, Surrey. It was built in 1811[3] in the Gothic revival style.[2] The Priory has been variously described in the press as a "white Gothic mansion",[4] "Strawberry Hill Gothic", and "a white-painted fantasy of Gothic spikes and battlements".[1]
History
The building was converted from a private home into a hospital in 1872[3] by William Wood, one of the first modern psychiatrists.[5] It is the longest established private psychiatric hospital in the southern counties. Early celebrity patients included, in the 1880s, the wife of the Victorian politician Jabez Balfour,[6] and, in the 1960s, the American singer Paul Robeson.
In 1980 the hospital was acquired by an American healthcare company,[7] and became the first clinic in what was to become the Priory Group.[1] The Priory subsequently benefited from two developments in the 1980s. Firstly, celebrities began seeking treatment at the hospital,[5] attracted not only by clinical excellence,[1] but also by location and, according to one press report, "a version, much-updated, of the smartest 19th century spa experience".[1] Secondly, the National Health Service was forced to close down some of its mental health hospitals and instead began referring patients to the Priory.[1] By the early 1990s, almost half the Priory Group's patients were funded by the UK government.[1]
Priory Lodge School
In 2010, the hospital opened the Priory Lodge School in its grounds.[8] The school specialises in caring for and educating children with autistic spectrum disorders, in particular Asperger’s Syndrome and associated learning difficulties[8] and charges fees of £65,000 per year.
Outside links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Gimme shelter". The Guardian. 5 July 1999. https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jul/05/features11.g21. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Heritage List 1184609: The Priory Hospital (including Ice house) (Grade II listing)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fulcher, Jane (15 April 2007). "The Priory: facts and figures". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/apr/15/healthandwellbeing.features4. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ↑ Rayment, Sean (7 December 2003). "Troubled soldiers get the Priory treatment". The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1448726/Troubled-soldiers-get-the-Priory-treatment.html. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The fab rehab (and why it's worth £875m)". Irish Independent. 7 July 2005. http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/the-fab-rehab-and-why-its-worth-875m-248523.html. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ↑ Wright, Ed (2006). History's Greatest Scandals: Shocking Stories of Powerful People. Pier 9. p. 23. ISBN 1-74045-809-5. https://archive.org/details/historysgreatest0000wrig/page/23.
- ↑ "RBS eyes sale of Priory to private equity". The Financial Times. 20 May 2010. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/597b0b12-6446-11df-8618-00144feab49a.html#axzz1wILphujl. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "New austism school at Priory in Roehampton". The Wandsworth Guardian. 31 May 2010. http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/8189809.New_austism_school_at_Priory_in_Roehampton/. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
