The Cassel Hospital Archive

Papers of the Cassel Hospital including management minutes, hospital administration (including a small number of patient and staff files), published reports and reviews, building plans, publicity and research papers.

MIXED

Cassel Hospital was founded and endowed in 1919 by the philanthropist Ernest Cassel. Established as the ?Cassel Hospital for Functional Nervous Disorders?, it was initially conceived that the hospital would focus on the treatment of shell-shocked soldiers. However, following a visit by Cassel and the pioneer psychiatrist Sir Maurice Craig to Seale Hayne hospital in Devon the new Cassel hospital was instead open to all 'educated people of moderate means, who were suffering from functional nervous disorders'. The house and estate at Swaylands in Penshurst, Kent was purchased for conversion into a modern hospital and a Board of Trustees and Medical Committee were established. Sir Ernest Cassel was joined by Sir Robert Hudson and Sir Courtaild Thomson on the Board of Trustees. Sir Maurice Craig, Dame Louis Aldrich-Blake, Sir Farquhar Buzzard, Lord Dawson of Penn, Sir Henry Head, Dr AF Hurst and Sir Frederick Treves would serve on the Medical Committee. Dr TA Ross was appointed the first Medical Director and Physician. Cassel Hospital opened to patients in May 1921 with accomodation for 54 patients. In 1927 a separate Nurses' Home was constructed in the place of the stables and coachmen's quarters to increase space within the house for use by patients. By 1931 further alterations to the building allowed the hospital to accommodate up to 64 patients. In 1940 the Hospital was evacuated to temporary premises at Ash Hall in Stoke-on-Trent and Swaylands was requisitioned by the army. In 1947 the Hospital relocated again to Morgan House, Ham Common, Richmond which at the time was operating as a private business - Lawrence Hall Hotel. From it?s opening in 1921 treatment was tailored to the specific needs of the individual with methods adopted from various schools of thought. With the arrival of Thomas Forrest Main as Medical Director in 1946 and Doreen Wedell as Matron the Hospital became a therapeutic community, practicing group psychotherapy and psychosocial nursing. For the first time it admitted mothers with babies and began to practice family psychiatry. It become a leading centre for practice, training and experiment in the psychotherapeutic treatment of neuroses, training both nurses and doctors through formal course and a programme of talks. In 1948 Cassel became part of the new National Health Service as a single unit hospital group under the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In the 1974 reorganisation of the NHS the hospital was incorporated into the South Hammersmith Health District. Since 1985 it has been part of the Riverside Health Authority but continues to have a national catchment area.