Catalogue description COUNTESS OF CHESTER HOSPITAL

Cheshire Lunatic Asylum, 1855-1899

Cheshire County Lunatic Asylum, 1899-1921

Cheshire County Mental Hospital, 1921-1948

Upton Mental Hospital, 1948-?1950

Deva Hospital, ?1950-1965

West Cheshire Hospital, 1965-1984

Countess of Chester Hospital, 1984-

Those records marked with an asterisk are closed to public inspection for 100 years following the date of the last entry. Applications for permission to examine closed records must be made to the Chester Health Authority via the City Archivist.

Minutes of the Chester County Lunatic Asylum Committee, 1852-1924, are held by the Cheshire Record Office, Duke Street, Chester and enquiries concerning these should be addressed to the County Archivist.

The records listed below were deposited in Chester City Record Office on 4 August 1983 by the Chester Health Authority via Mr J. M. Wilson, Hospital Administrator (Psychiatric Unit), West Cheshire Hospital, Liverpool Road, Chester.

J. Hemingway, History of the City of Chester, vol. 2, 1831, pp. 226-229

N. Pevsner and E. Hubbard, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, 1971, p. 366.

B. A. Wall, A World of its Own Chester's Psychiatric Hospitals 1829-1976 1977

B. A. Wall, Upton by Chester 1984

Cheshire County Lunatic Asylum was opened in 1829 on a site in Liverpool Road. The original building, which housed 90 patients, was designed by William Cole, junior, county architect, and was erected under the direction of the county magistrates.

In 1855, the first of a number of name changes occurred when the asylum became Cheshire Lunatic Asylum and in 1870, it became Chester County Lunatic Asylum. In 1889, Cheshire County Council became responsible for the asylum and in 1899 the original name, Cheshire County Lunatic Asylum, was restored.

The early years of the 20th century saw significant advances in the treatment of, as well as changing attitudes towards, mental illness. These were reflected in developments at the asylum. A new pathology laboratory was opened and in 1914, an annexe was built. In 1921, the name 'asylum' was dropped and the name. County Mental Hospital, was adopted.

In 1948, the National Health Service took over the running of the hospital from Cheshire County Council and it was renamed Upton Mental Hospital. In the early 1950s, it became Deva Hospital. Following the amalgamation of Chester and District Hospital Management Committee and Deva Hospital Management Committee in 1965, it was renamed the West Cheshire Hospital.

During the 1950s, there were important changes in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses, involving the use of new drugs and in consequence the number of in-patients was drastically reduced. By the 1980s, less than 4% of the patients were compelled to remain in hospital.

In 1983, a new general hospital and an accident unit were opened on the West Cheshire Hospital site and following the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales on 30 May 1984, the present name, Countess of Chester Hospital, was acquired.