Rich in History & Architecture
1838–39 – Surrey magistrates purchased the 97-acre Springfield Park estate from a wealthy brewer to establish a county asylum. The site was chosen for its clean air, southerly aspect, water supply, and proximity to population centres.
1838–41 – Construction began with the boring of a well in 1839. Overseen by County Surveyor Edward Lapidge and designed by William Moseley, the asylum was built in Tudor style with stone dressings, slate roofs, crenellations, Hampton Court-style chimneys, and decorative brickwork. The E-shaped layout featured a grand forecourt, two rear service yards, and a central reception pavilion overlooking sweeping lawns and a stone-carved fountain.
1842 – The site saw further enhancements including ground levelling, new gravelled roads, and the first drive built specifically for the asylum. A brick wall enclosed an eight-acre kitchen garden, and original farm buildings were adapted for therapeutic farming by male patients.
1847 – New wings were added to the north-west and south-east of the main bedroom and the whole frontage was then 350in length.
1860 – 64- A land purchase extended the site to the east. The land contained a public footpath. In 1864 two further strips of land were added to grow more food, bringing the total land size to approximately 97.5 acres.
1879 – A new ballroom by CH Howell and a superintendent’s house was built.
1885 – A water tower was built to solve water supply problems.
1893 – A new entrance was made at Glenburnie Road, thus making the back of the Asylum the front. A lodge was built by the new entrance (now demolished). An extra lodge was built in 1897 on Glenburnie Rd.
1897 – An Annexe opened. Designed by Architect Rowland Plumbe, it had visiting rooms and toilets at the front of the building, while the ward accommodation was at the rear Constructed in a red-brick Tudor style with castellated blocks, it was intended to match the original Main Building.
1914 – During WW1 the Asylum became Springfield War Hospital
1930 – The 1930’s saw more expansion at Springfield. Additions were made to the late nineteenth-century wouth wing extension.
The Nurse’s Home was officially opened by Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood. Verandahs were added to the SE wing by WT Curtis and these were glazed in after 1948 under the stewardship of CG Stillman, county architect from 1946.
1933 – An Annexe opened in Kingston Road to accommodate elderly female patients.
1939-45 – During WW2, although the buildings received no direct hits during the war, they suffered damage from flying bombs nearby.
1950 – Modernisation and repair of the wards began, with underpinning of some of the buildings.
1954 – 26 acres of farmland was taken over by the LCC for building purposes (the site now contains a housing estate and a school).
By the end of the 1950s the Hospital had been almost surrounded by urban development
1983: Main Building listed at Grade II.
1997: Elizabeth Newton listed Grade II.
2002: Added to Register of Parks and Gardens at Grade II.
2019: The Main Building has been deemed unfit for purpose & large parts of it were left to decline.
Dec 2019: Acquired by City & Country – restoration commences.
