Wellcome awards £130,000 to mental asylum archive project

MORE than £130,000 has been allocated to research archives from a former mental asylum.

The funding from Wellcome’s Research Resources Award will be used to catalogue the largest collection held at Denbighshire Archives – the records of the North Wales Hospital in Denbigh.

The hospital, which opened in October 1848, was the main institution in North Wales for the care of the mentally ill. A century later, its patients numbered in excess of 1,500. It was by far the biggest employer in the area and activities recorded in its voluminous archives reflect its importance in the social and economic life of the area, with its farm, sporting activities, community events and cultural festivals.

The hospital finally closed its doors in 1995 and has several times been targeted by firebugs and trespassers, despite the fact that parts are teetering on the brink of collapse.

The hospital archive is unique in its completeness and includes patient records, annual reports and committee minutes, financial records, plans and staff records.

Most of the collection is closed to researchers to adhere to data protection legislation and respect patient confidentiality.

It is important the collection is preserved to enable access to those interested in tracing developments in treatments of mental health patients in the future.

Nicola Samuel, archivist at Denbighshire Archives said: “The funding will enable us to employ three project staff to catalogue, conserve, and create an online catalogue for this unique collection.”