AN ONLINE talk is set to explore the history of a hospital which served Berkshire for more than a century.
The Fair Mile Hospital was one of the precursors to psychiatric hospitals, founded in 1870 as the county “lunatic asylum” for Berkshire.
After undergoing a number of name changes, the hospital came to be known as Fair Mile Hospital in 1948 when it became part of the NHS.
Located in Cholsey, the institution had served Berkshire in providing psychiatric treatments for over 100 years before boundary changes saw it become part of Oxfordshire.
It closed in 2003 and the Grade II listed buildings were converted to dwellings.
Historian and author Ian Wheeler will lead a talk arguing that will aim to “adjust perceptions” associated with Victorian asylums, examining the founding of the institution, its work, and its growth through the eyes of ten of its former employees.
The talk takes place online from 2pm on Thursday, January 26,
Tickets cost £5, or £4 for Berkshire Family History Society members, bookable via: whatsonreading.com.
