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Hello and welcome to my Three Counties Asylum website.
On this site you will find a wealth of information regarding the great Victorian Asylum, It Still stands proud on the Arlesey / Stotfold border. It is the only complete surviving example of a Victorian Asylum that I know of in Great Britain, It was designed in the wonderful gothic romantic style by George Fowler Jones and built by William Webster of Boston Lincolnshire
Most people living in and around Arlesey, Stotfold, Letchworth, Hitchin and Ickleford will of 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 operating as a psychiatric hospital to care and treat the thousands of patients that passed through its doors. It was also a place of employment and employed many local and later people from all over the world.
It was a great shortcut for people, especially the fishermen who would cut through on their way to the Arlesey lagoons or people going for picnics and a swim.
People in their hundreds and thousands would visit Fairfield hospital in the summer for the fetes, especially in the 1970's and 1980's with top DJs like Ed Stewpot and stars of Coronation Street attending in 82 ,I believe it was Bill Roache who plays Ken Barlow and Pat Phoenix who played Elsie Tanner
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 Exorcist there age 13!}
We even have tales of MURDER! and STRANGE DEATHS ,
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 thankfully it was saved and the outside restored to its former glory and the inside turned into luxury apartments, The Fantastic Bannatyne’s Health Club and the wonderful relaxing ambience of Doughty’s Brasserie compliment and fuse well with the refurbishment.
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Please note :Text and photographic images copyright © Richard Knight and may not be copied or used without written permission. All photos used on this website are used with permission of the web creator or contributor. You may not post them to another website unless you have the written permission of the copyright owner. Neither may any images or text be used for commercial purposes.
Please e.mail for permission or any other enquiry, rich@threecountiesasylum.co.uk
Click on the Radio Fairfield logo to visit the website
Site Updated 10th March 2012,
Please scroll down the page for new Admissions and to enter the Wards.

Three Counties
Asylum
Wanted urgently,
Three Counties Asylum/Three Counties Hospital/Fairfield Hospital Artefacts.
We are planning a museum dedicated to the Staff and Patients from the old hospital,
We are looking for any memorabilia you may have and wish to donate or sell,
Please e.mail rich@threecountiesasylum.co.uk or Telephone evenings 01462 630912
If You Would like To listen To The BBC Three Counties Radio Interview That Was Broadcast On The 28th Feb 2012 With Reporter Jenna Benson and Myself , Please Press Play.

Here is some very exciting news, We have now started the Three Counties Asylum Historical Group
We are looking for people to join us in our quest to preserve the history of this great old asylum.
At the moment we are working with the Bedfordshire Archives to digitise all of the Asylum record books
A huge task indeed!
We will hold monthly meetings with talks and social evenings, We will be putting on displays of artefacts (watch this space for some very exciting news coming soon)
If you feel this is a project you would like to help with or for more information please contact:
join us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Three-