ABSTRACT
Holloway Sanatorium, Virginia Water, Surrey, was established by private bequest for the exclusive benefit of the insane middle classes. This chapter examines the increased demands for the treatment of the middle-class insane and the rationale behind the building of this elegant hospital before considering the founders charitable intentions and the reality of their implementation for the patients. The uniqueness of this institution is further illustrated by an overview of the environment and the patients, and by examining how they were provided for in terms of both comfort and entertainment. The emergence of separate facilities for the middle-class insane was in keeping with a growing recognition of the different types of mental illness and their subsequent categorization. This led to the development of new and specialized types of provision, such as the early institutions for the congenitally defective as opposed to those who were mentally ill. Examples include the National Model Asylum for Idiots and Normansfield Hospital.
