ABSTRACT
Cities need their hinterland of towns and villages, and in turn towns and villages depend on cities. In the late 19th century, 12% of the deaths in London hospitals were of patients from outside the metropolis. Trade in patients brought financial benefits both to London and to the neighbouring areas. ‘Health tourists’ seeking benefit from sea-water in the 19th and early 20th century were not the first visitors to the area seeking salvation. The asylum was one of seven built outside London by the London County Council in response to the 1890 Lunacy Act, which made local authorities responsible for providing care for those with mental illness. The hospital was only partly successful as the depressed patients were largely inactive and those who were manic tended to abscond. The workshops produced brooms, mattresses, books and metal goods to help provide income and to pay patients a small salary.
