After Storm Arwen battled many places in UK on Saturday, today was such a contrast. I dragged my husband out for a walk because I felt if we didn't do it today, we probably won't go out again for the rest of the week. We have a stunning building nearby called the Royal Earlswood Park, which has a rather infamous and sad history. I figured that would make a nice walk.
The path leading up to the area is lined with tall pine trees (?) on either side and 21 acres of lush gardens. It feels awfully grand as you walk along it.
I must have come here at the right time of the day. The sun fell onto the trees creating some spectacular shadows on the ground, like a knife cutting a cake into massive pieces.
It was cold today and I was wearing a woolly hat. No rude comments about my shadow please 😄
This is the main building of the Royal Earlswood Park, and the view looking back to the path I just came from.
Needless to say, these buildings are luxury apartments. A one bedroom apartment here costs £300k and a two bed £400k - that is expensive for this area.
This is another building that used to be part of the hospital. It's next to the other building, and although it doesn't look so grand, the properties prices here are just as expensive.
This building didn't always use to be so glamourous. Its last name as an institution was the Royal Earlswood Hospital until it closed down in 1997. However, its history dates way back to 1855 when it first opened. Back then, it was called the National Asylum For Idiots, and then The Royal Earlswood Institution for Mental Defectives. Of course, we would never call institutions like this today, but I imagine in those days, things were different. Perhaps idiot was a less offensive word.
The Royal Earlswood Hospital is more famous for something else, rather than just being a former mental health institution. For anyone who has watched The Crown from Netflix, you may remember in season 4, episode 7, it was revealed that the Queen had a couple of first cousins, Nerissa and Katherine, living in a mental institution. The cousins' father and the Queen's mother were siblings, and in the program, it was said the Queen Mother's family hid the cousins away in case people thought the genes run in the family, and think the Queen has mental illness as well. The hiding part has been refuted by the Royal family, but the cousins' mental illness is true. They actually lived in the Royal Earlswood Hospital since 1941. Nerissa died here in 1986 and Katherine in a nearby care home in 2014 after the hospital closed down in 1997.
Mental illness is still a taboo subject for many, especially so if you're part of the Royal family many decades ago. It's sad story about the sisters, who were born blue blood, but genetic disorder doesn't discriminate between rich and poor. In case you're wondering and care, the genetic disease came from Nerissa and Katherine's mother's side of the family and not the father ie the Queen's side. And the story gets sadder as it was subsequently revealed that three of the sisters' cousins from their mother's side were also living at Royal Earlswood Hospital (source).
As I finished my walk and left the area, I walked past Asylum Arch Road. History is history, you can't and shouldn't erase it.
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Wow, that Royal Earlswood Hospital looks just like something I saw in a movie. And it was also a mental institution too in that movie. Gave me goosebumps 😳 Just can't remember the title.
The pine trees look so imposing. I can just imagine living in those apartments and passing through them everyday. Like royal guards lined up on both sides seeing you off and welcoming you back.
That's interesting. If you ever remember the movie, please do let me know.
Even looking out straight ahead to that path every day is very soothing, but then I guess the view is factored in the property price!
I wonder if the place looks eerie at night. Guess now since you have to pay a lot to own it.
Was that you shadow? I I thought is the tree.
Not sure, I never been there at dark, but there don't seem to be many lamp posts nearby. so it's not somewhere I want to walk around at night time.
Yes, that's me, I thought it looked quite fun😃
Well, stay safe than go walking wrong place at night.
Not going out anywhere after 4pm now, it gets dark!!!
Wow, what a cool old building. I don't think I would be able to live there knowing what it used to be. Even if I could afford it! Awesome photos!
There's a lot of old hospitals that are converted to luxury buildings in UK now, mainly because they are so large, and have a lot of character... but I guess that's not to everyone's taste. The hospital that I was born has been converted to flats as well, I'm very tempted to buy a place there, imagine being born and dying at the same place 😆
That would be interesting if not a little creepy. I mean, you know for sure people died there, so I wonder how that works.
It does feel grand to pass between those trees. They remind me of knights lined up on either side with their swords raised creating a canopy to welcome guests to the castle. I remember watching the Royal Earlswood Hospital scenes from The Crown. Interesting to see its exterior. I didn't know about this sisters' story prior to watching that.
Neither did I before I watched The Crown, then I was so surprised to find this bit of less known Royal history right on my doorstep.
stunning architecture! The buildings look like they have been there for many centuries. I miss the good old days
The buildings are nearly two hundred years old, which is relatively young by UK standards as there are easily a lot that are a few centuries old. UK is great if you love architecture
Lmao 🤣
Great photos of the trees and shadows! Looks like an awesome day for a walk.
The term "idiot" used to have a specific meaning in psychology as did "moron" and a few other words that seem out of place today when they are used in certain serious contexts. I find it interesting how words change over time though. Scientific words that become adopted by the public tend to be over generalized and they essentially lose their intended meaning or become synonymous with something else. The term "retard" and "retarded" are examples of that as well. Those words used to have specific scientific meanings but now are just very derogatory terms and its best to just avoid using them. Language - pretty interesting in my opinion.
And then people create new terms to overcome these issues but sometimes they are just too ridiculous. I remember I was booking a flight on the internet some years ago, and in the seat reservation section there was this term "horizontally challenged".
It was something to do with choosing seats or buying an extra seat if you're on the large side aka fat, which we not supposed to call people nowadays either !!!!
Yeah it's true. It does seem absurd at times. New words are created to replace the old misused words and then other new words are created to replace those, and eventually you can't even figure out what message is being conveyed anymore because it's so far removed lol. I'm definitly for inclusivity and all that but sometimes it can be very challenging. As a rule I just try to avoid any descriptive word for other people. It's too confusing for me anymore. There have been so many times where I have literally thought to myself "can I say that word anymore?" and then I spend like 5 minutes in my head thinking "well the man was from Mexico, so why couldn't I say that a Mexican gave me the tequila?" 🤔
That's just a made up example but there have been actual cases where I thought something similar to that. My social work program ruined me for speaking. Now i overthink everything.
Super cool walk. Thanks for taking us with you and teaching us some history too. Those trees are great.
I find my history and geography has improved so much since blogging on Hive, definitely an added benefit of blogging!!
I'm really impressed with the pine trees on both sides of the road, the trunk is big and tall, it's really beautiful
I came here back in summer as well, the ambience was quite different then, but just as nice
History should not be erased! I agree. Right, wrong or indifferent, I resent that they are doing that exact thing here in the States. If it wasn't a great piece of history, that should be remembered too.
This was such a wonderful piece and I do remember the outside shots of the building. I adore the long lines the trees give the drive up... it makes it looks welcoming.
Idiot is a foolish or stupid person. I found this: 'Idiot' was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot guard themself against common physical dangers. The term was gradually replaced by 'profound mental retardation', which has since been replaced by other terms.
Many things that are wrong nowadays were the norm back in the old days, and we can't use today's standard to judge the days back then. We just have to accept history is history.
Sometimes I feel sorry for the academies, because they could be using a perfectly legtimate term in the academic sense, but because the general public has given it a totally different and possible derogatory meaning to it, it looks like the former are being rude.
I couldn't agree with you more. I am horrified that they are changing history by means of tearing down statues that have been up for centuries. Just because feelings have changed about things doesn't change history.
The same goes for terms used to define certain afflictions. While they make perfect sense getting meeting in an academic setting, people have decided some of those terms have negative connotations. Nowadays, nobody wants to name anything for fear of offended with somebody. What a shame.