Hello and welcome to my Three Counties Asylum website.
On this site you will find a wealth of information regarding the great Victorian Asylum which stands proud on the Arlesey /Stotfold border.
This site is designed to be informative but not too Stuffy, History should be interesting and not send you to sleep!,"I believe if its Interesting you will remember if you remember you might want to know more"....
Most people liviing in and around Arlesey, Stotfold, Letchworth, Hitchin and Ickleford will have at some point in there lives had something to do with the Three Counties Asylum or as it is better known in modern times as Fairfield Hospital.
First and foremost it has been a place of Patient care, for nearly 140 years, it was operated as a psychiatric hospital to care and treat the thousands of patients that passed through its doors.
As a place of employment it employed many local people including my aunt and uncle who met while doing their nurse training who later married and are still going strong after 40 years.
It was a great shortcut for people especially the fishermen who would cut through on their way to the Arlesey lagoons .
People in there hundreds and thousands would visit Fairfield hospital in the summer for the fates especially in the 1970's and 1980's with top djs like Ed Stewepot and stars of coronation street attending in 82 ,I believe it was Bill Roche who plays Ken Barlow and Pat Pheonix who played Elsie Tanner.
Kids rode illigal motorcycles through it and around it {yes i was one of them see the stories page for details of my prosecution!}
The grounds of the Asylum played host to many sports such as cricket, bowls and football and many of the local folks would get merry in the club house afterwards.
There was also a cinema {my cousins saw The Excorcist there age 13!}
We even have tales of MURDER! and STRANGE DEATHS ,Some people might say this is not P.C. but there is nothing written here that can not be found on the internet or the public records office. Its all part of the asylum story, Its only fair to portray all aspects of asylum life and history.
So you see the hospital has touched many lives over so many years in so many ways.
Locally we were very concerned that the old place would be demolished when it closed its doors in 1999 but thankfully it was saved and the outside restored to its former glory and the inside turned into luxury apartments with a health club,resturaunt and bars to follow..
So please pass your mouse over the buttons, click read on and enjoy. |
