Sneinton Asylum

Sneinton Asylum was a psychiatric hospital at Sneinton in Nottingham.

Sneinton Asylum
This gate post is all that remains of Sneinton Asylum
Shown in Nottinghamshire
Geography
Location	Sneinton, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
Coordinates	52.9546°N 1.1330°W / 52.9546; -1.1330
Organisation
Care system	Public NHS
Type	Mental health
History
Opened	1812
Closed	1902
Links
Lists	Hospitals in England

History

Wood engraving of the Sneinton Asylum

The Nottingham General Lunatic Asylum was the first such asylum to open in the United Kingdom.^[1] It was designed by Richard Ingleman of Southwell.^[1] The foundation stone was laid on 31 May 1810 and the first patients were admitted in February 1812.^[2] The facility initially accommodated 80 patients.^[1]

As demand for places increased additional facilities were required and it became necessary to augment capacity by establishing the Coppice Lunatic Hospital in 1859 and the Mapperley Asylum in 1880.^[1]

The facility eventually reached a state of decay and after services transferred to Saxondale Hospital near Radcliffe-on-Trent, the hospital closed in 1902.^[1] The asylum at Sneinton was later converted into a boarding school named King Edward's School.^[3] The school has since been demolished and the area has been redeveloped to create a recreation facility now known as King Edward Park.^[4]