Hanwell Asylum


 * This article is about the history of the Asylum at Hanwell; for 'other' organizations that now share the original site such as West London Mental Health (NHS) Trust or Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, please seek their separate entries - if any. 



The (1st Middlesex) County Asylum at Hanwell, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum, was built for the pauper insane and has evolved to become the West London Mental Health (NHS) Trust (WLMHT). The 2nd Middlesex was Colney Hatch Asylum, opened in 1851, and the 3rd was Banstead Asylum in Surrey, opened in 1877.

Its first superintendent became famous in his own lifetime for his pioneering work and his adherence to his 'great principle of therapeutic employment' (developed at his previous post at Warwickshire Asylum). His many sceptical contemporaries were amazed that at Hanwell such therapy speeded up recovery. This greatly pleased the visiting Justices of the Peace (JPs) as it ultimately reduced the long term costs of keeping each patient. Under the third superintendent John Conolly the institution became world famous for being the first 'large' asylum to totally dispense with all mechanical restraints.

It lies next to the village of Hanwell from which it gets its name but parochially belongs to the suburb of Southall (and before a boundary change it was in Norwood). It is some eight and a half miles from London which lies to the south east and six and a half from Uxbridge to the west. (O/S map ed 1896)

The building is well situated on a gently sloping 'river gravel terrace' which is a common feature of the Thames river valley. This terrace was formed during the cold wet periglacial periods of the quaternary. The land immediately to the east was further cut down by the River Brent, which still flows alone its eastern perimeter. At its southern boundary is the Grand Union Canal and a flight of six locks. Both the southern wall of the old asylum and the flight of locks have been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This meets the western boundary of Windmill Lane at the Three Bridges, (which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument). Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1859, it consists of a cast-iron trough carrying the Grand Union Canal over the Great Western Railway and a cast-iron bridge carrying the public highway Windmill Lane over the other two. So, it is actually only two bridges.

Today the building also serves as the head offices of the West London Mental Health NHS Trust (WLMHT). Although the on-site facilities have been reduced and scaled down from what was once the world's largest asylum, it is still very much involved with the treatment and research into serious mental distress. A prior trust created the London West Mental Health R&D Consortium which also has its administrative base there. On the land released by scaling down the old mental hospital, there is now a complex of other buildings known as Ealing Hospital NHS Trust built on the old asylum's recreational grounds and cycle track to the east. At the back of the main building are some disused wards that still belong to the Regional Health Authority.

The WLMHT currently act as guardians of the Corsellis Collection, containing some nine thousand specimens of brains dating back to the 1950s. No larger depository of this speciality is known. WLMHT also run Broadmoor High Secure Hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire.

''Medical terms in this article are in the context of what was legally correct usage for that period where they appear in the text. Therefore, terms as: feeble-minded, idiot, imbecile, lunatic etc., are not intended to cause offence.''

Early History
The building of the asylum was made possible through several Acts of Parliament and statutes still drive the changes in mental health care into the present day. The more important ones and other notable dates are:

County Asylums Act (1808)
The context which made it possible to create an asylum in Middlesex might be best understood from drawing attention to the 1808 County Asylums Act. This recognised lunatics as being ill, being held in the wrong institutions and who would possibly 'recover' if given the right type of treatment. Non-recovery would mean the insane pauper would always need to be looked after and hence cost more in the long run. The war with France had cost much. Moreover, industrialisation was causing some parishes to grow in population and so have a greater number of people in need than the existing system of charitable institutions and workhouses could cope with. This 'acceptance' of insanity being an illness  can almost be seen as an attempt to improve the health of local finances rather than that of the poor or for to meet any other high need of humanity.

"Whereas the practice of confining such lunatics and other insane persons as are chargeable to their respective parishes in Gaols, Houses of Correction, Poor Houses and Houses of Industry, is highly dangerous and inconvenient" 

Therefore, the 1808 Act was passed to empowered county Justices of the Peace (JPs) to construct asylums financed out of the local rates which was very unpopular. As JPs faced annual re-election they often found resistance to enforcing this policy. As already mentioned the cost of keeping lunatics in jails and workhouses had previously been charged to the parish of the individual's birth. With no treatment to regain mental health costs to the affected parishes continued unabated. To make matters worse (and a factor often overlooked) the Corn Laws kept food prices high while the Enclosure Act of 1813 removed the right for poor people to use the common lands to support themselves, causing added mental distress to the already impoverished.

Decision to build asylum (1827)
Concern grew about the disproportionate number of lunatics in Middlesex. The local judiciary (before whom the lunatics would have appeared charged with various offences or running amok) decided on 15th November 1827 to exercise their powers and build an asylum. In the following year Parliament recognised the barriers to asylum building and passed the 1828 Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy Act to ensure the 1808 Acts was enforced by giving JPs the powers to progress things more rapidly. (Norris & Alen)

The building (1829- 1831)
Work on the new asylum at Hanwell started in 1829 on land most of which (44 acres) was purchased from the Earl of Jersey. The architect was William Alderson, a Quaker. His neo-classical design consisted of central octagonal 'panopticon' tower of a basement and two floors. The windows have a tall aspect with semicircular bonded gauge brick arches at the top. Two wings of one basement and one floor only (in the 'corridor form' style) going east and west. They then both turn north and each terminate at it own panoptican tower, which again has a basement and two floors, thus forming in plan view: a building around three sides of a square. The east side of the central tower was intended for the male patients and the west for the females. With germ theory beginning to be developed around this time, spreading the wards out in this manner was thought to help reduce the spread of infections. The central tower was adorned with a monumental clock procured from John Moore & Sons of 38-9 Clerkenwell Close, London (this was later moved to the Chapel tower - see the lithographic print (below) In November of the same year building work started again on the first extension (there was more expansion again in 1837, 1857 and 1879).

The newer extensions which were added in 1857-59 are readily identifiable, as they have flat bonded arches to the tops of the windows.

In 1999 the exterior of the building (just those parts of the building which are still in use and visible to the general public) were cleaned with a proprietary dilute hydrofluoric acid preparation, removing over 170 years of grime and soot to reveal the rough golden yellow colour of the bricks, which is characteristic of handmade 'London stocks'. One can still see original small cast iron ventilation grills that show the Middlesex County Shield with the three Saxon saexes incorporated into the design, indicating the asylum's original ownership.

Upon entering the building one is struck by the economy in the proportioning of space for a building of this period, until one remembers that it was not built as a grand residence or proud civic building but purely a functional work space and home for the treatment of insane paupers. This unfortunately lead to the building having poor ventilation, and together with overcrowding may be the reason behind the high rates of TB before the age of antibiotics.

This was made worse in that the asylum filled up so quickly that basements were converted into sleeping dormitories and even a few extra wards. To this end earth was dug away from the basement walls and windows fitted. This worked quite well for much of the east side where the ground level is almost 5 metres lower than on the west due to the slope.

The main view most people see of the hospital is the elegantly proportioned gatehouse entrance. This adjoins the Uxbridge Road. It takes the form of a neoclassical half circular arch, large and solid, over tall vertical barred, iron gates, which incorporate a small pedestrian gate with its own key lock. Any harshness in the architecturally solid lines are softened somewhat by the vine creepers that envelop the upper parts. Surprisingly, it is built from pale grey Gault bricks which are not only gauged but had to be brought in from afar, and so commanded premium prices. It also supports on the north side of the building a blue Ordnance Survey Bench Mark; type: flush bracket; No. S1016. This point was measured to be 69.279 feet (21.116 metres) above mean sea level.

Middlesex County Asylum at Hanwell 1831 - 1889
Under the administration of the local Committee of Visiting Justices of Middlesex County Council.

The asylum opened on the 16 May 1831 by taking in twenty-four male patients and eighteen female patients.

Dr William & Mildred Ellis
The first superintendent was Dr William Charles Ellis (later knighted) presided together with his capable wife Mildred Ellis who held the post of matron, from the opening in 1831 until his resignation in 1838.

In this age of relative enlightenment it was found essential for recovery that the patients should get out into full daylight, take in fresh air and to walk about and exercise, so the ground floor wards had 'airing courts' which were shared by the other wards upstairs. These were pleasantly laid out areas with seating and bounded by walls or railings so patients could not wander off. When a patient had somewhat recovered their wits they were allowed to walk and work in the surrounding fields. The asylum had its own carpentry, bakery, brewery, dentistry, fire brigade, gasworks, laundry, shoemakers, smithy, tailors, farm, church and burial ground etc. (See diagram of the layout of the asylum). It was as self-sufficient as it could be. The asylum paid the canal company for taking water from the canal and had its own dock to receive barges. This was very convenient for receiving coal deliveries, which was used not only for heating but for producing gas for illumination.

Originally planned to house 450 patients with space for a further 150 its capacity was reduced back to 300 with space for another 150 due to fears of an outcry if the local rate increased too sharply. At first the number of paupers admitted was low due to the charge of nine shilling per week each, this being higher than the workhouses and jails, but by force of the law the asylum was full within six months and more space was badly needed. Therefore, in November of the same year work on building extensions began and so started the almost continuous process of rebuilding and improvements that go on in the present day.

Anatomy Act (1832)
When a person died in the asylum, their friends or relatives were free to remove the remains for burial. Failing this, the deceased was interned in unmarked paupers grave in the hospital's burial ground. With the 1832 Anatomy Act, the body was first kept in a building called the 'dead house' (which was situated to west side of the burial ground. (See diagram of asylum layout above) and if unclaimed after 72 hours could be sold to a (licensed) anatomy school. The Act also provided for people who wished to donate their bodies upon death. Inspiration for this Act was came from the 1828 trial and conviction of Burke and Hare, the body snatchers.

As permission to perform autopsies on paupers did need not be sought from the local coroner autopsies became common at the hospital. Starting in 1845, the results of these autopsies were recorded in detail by Dr Hitchman.

John Conolly (1839)
John Conolly took up residence as the third superintendent on the 1st June 1839. When his appointment came though earlier in April, Serjeant Adams, who was one of the Visiting Justicies of the asylum (and a circuit judge who often visited Lincoln, the county of Conolly's birth) suggested that Conolly visit the Lincoln Asylum and see the system worked out by Mr. Robert Gardiner Hill. So impressed by what he saw there that he was convinced to do everything he could to abandon all mechanical restraints at Hanwell. This must have taken enormous powers of persuasion, since the existing staff would have to abandon old habits and learn how to nurse more effectively those patients who's illness exhibited itself in troubling behavior. This however, seemed to avoid the patient from suffering still further trauma from being restrained and made to feel totally helpless. The fact that he did this in only three months (accomplished by 21st September 1839) is also possible testament to the earlier work of Ellis.

Something of his success can be gained from this extract of the first page of the sixty-eighth report of the Visiting Justicies. '' "The Visiting Justices have the satisfaction to find that every year, as the excellence of the non - restraint System becomes more generally recognized, affords fewer Materials in the Asylum for Comment or Report. For four years it has been the settled Rule of the House, that no harshness nor coercive cruelly should be used in any case, but that every patient, however violent, should be treated with uniform kindness and forbearance;  and during that time such as been the undeviating success of this Plan, such as been the even tenor of it course, that it now presents no new fact nor features either to vindicate or explain. This is the more extraordinary, as it rarely happens that a Theory can be brought into practice without losing a Portion of its presumed Efficiency." ''

(Serjeant Adams was also, a founding member and first chairman of Leagal & General)

The Illustrated London News (1848)
Full page illustration and short article was published in The Illustrated London News on January 15th 1848  about how Twelfth Night was celebrated at the Hanwell Asylum.

The Brewery closes (1888)
In 1888, the earlier 1879 Act of Parliament to facilitate the control and care of Habitual Drunkards was made permanent (and the term 'Habitual Drunkard' changed to 'Inebriate'). As Hanwell would take in such patients for up to a year, this Act was seen as a reason to close the brewery.

London County Asylum, Hanwell 1889 -  1918
Under the administration of the London County Council.

Hilda Elizabeth Wolsey
on 11th June 1910 Nurse Hilda Elizabeth Wolsey followed a female patient who climbed one of the fire escapes and then along the guttering of the ward roof. She held on to the patient until help arrived and they could both be lowered to the safety of the ground. For this act of heroism she was awarded the Albert Medal. (In 1971 surviving holders of the Albert Medal were invited to exchange their decoration for the more suitable George Cross; which she did. Wolsey died on 11 March 1974 in Ealing, West London.)

County Mental Hospital, Hanwell 1918 - 1937'''
Under the administration of the London County Council, was renamed the County Mental Hospital, Hanwell.

Taken in the first half of the 1920s this image shows that the nurses' home has still to be built in the top right corner of the frame. It has since been demolished. Further to the top right is the Iron Bridge at the junction of Uxbridge Road (A 4020) and Windmill Lane (A 4127) which runs south to the left of the frame. Running down the left-hand side is a section of the 'Flight of Locks' on the Grand Union Canal. For overhead aerial view of Hospital today take external link to Google Maps:

Also, by the 1920s there were sufficient beds to ensure that no person too ill to keep within the laws of the land (or avoid getting misled by others into transgressing the law) need be sent to gaol. The prison population subsequently fell.

St. Bernard's Hospital, Hanwell 1937-1980
Under the administration of the London County Council until 1948 when responsibility was transferred to the new National Health Service - North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, which was reorganised to became the North West Thames Regional Health Authority with local power invested in the Ealing District Health Authority in 1974.

War years (1939-1945)
The hospital had one ward turned over to act as the local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) centre, to cater for the extra casualties of war.

The hospital and its grounds received several bombs during the second war. This was mostly due to the proximity of two strategic targets: the AEC factory in Windmill Lane which built fighting vehicles and the Wharncliffe Viaduct which carried the Great Western Railway (GWR), a vital transport route. As some of the UBXs fell wide and into the soft sediment of the river Brent they are possibly still there. However, a V1 was not so obliging and hit the laundry causing many casualties. This event is mentioned in a personal account by Simon Tobitt in WW2 Peoples War. The Gatehouse also received some bomb damage.

Dr. Max Glatt (1958)
Dr. Max Meier Glatt, (born January 26 1912; died May 14 2002). One of the pioneers in the treatment of people with an addictive personality trait. Appointed as a consultant in 1958 he set up an alcohol dependency unit in a female ward. Overcoming many managerial obstacles; his approach of creating a therapeutic community was found to be a great success. In 1962 this was moved and became a drug and alcohol dependence unit; now known as the Max Glatt Unit and situated in 'A' Block, and next to the Tony Hillis wing. Run currently by the Central North West London Mental Health NHS Trust; Substance Misuses Service

Psychiatric Unit 1980 - 1992
North West Thames Regional Health Authority via the Ealing District Health Authority

The local District Health Authority, following Government edict to close the smaller cottage hospitals and maternity units, and bring health services together on one multi-disciplinary site, changed the name of the grounds to 'Ealing Hospital.' However, the new nomenclature given to describe the new layout and various buildings was found to go against all natural intuition and so forced people to keep resorting to the name St. Bernard's Hospital to make it clear that they were referring to the psychiatric parts run by the WLMHT  and 'Ealing Hospital' when referring to the District General Unit building - which is administrated by a totally separate public sector corporation or Trust. Even by 2006 the old name is often used in internal communications and in-house publications and some National Service web sites still give the address as St. Bernard's Hospital. This approach has proven an effective Coping mechanism against the Petronius syndrome. Likewise, its geographical attachment depends on context. For postal communications it is in Southall, for non clinical administration it is referred to as the 'Ealing site' and to the people to whom it serves it remains in Hanwell.

Three Bridges Regional Secure Unit - opened 1985
Run by the Forensic Directorate, this unit was named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Three Bridges that lies only a few hundred feet away to the west. One of the wards has been named after the rastafarian dub poet and mental health campaigner Benjamin Zephaniah.

West London Healthcare NHS Trust 1992 - 1999
West London Healthcare NHS Trust achieves 'Trust' status and becomes a public sector corporation.

24th July 1992 John Conolly Wing (JCW) opened. Incorporating the Adult Acute, Rehabilitation, and  Elderly Mentally Ill (EMI) wards. Ground floor also has a room each for Art and  Music therapy, plus a dinning area,  whilst on the first floor is a Post room and on the north-eastern quadrant is the ECT suit, Phlebotomy and some administration offices. The first floor lobby is connected to the near by general hospital to the north by an enclosed aerial corridor which spans an intervening service road. Supported upon slender concrete posts, it is some one hundred and twenty feet in length. The feature was inspired by the then government dictum that  'local psychiatric units should be an integral part of the district hospitals.'  Policy had changed again by the time the new wing had been built  - still remains locked and un-perambulated.

North West Thames Regional Health Authority abolished 1994 New authority: North Thames Region until 1996 and the Ealing District Health Authority is also abolished. Replaced by NHS Strategic Health Authority (SHA): Ealing & Hammersmith & Hounslow (EHH).

Major refurbishment (1998)
Started in February 1998 St. Bernard's main building under goes a major refurbishment. It costs in excess of four and a half million pounds sterling and takes about eight months. Finally the exterior brickwork gets cleaned and netting is strategically placed to deny the local Rock Pigeons a roost.

Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham Mental Health NHS Trust 1999 - 2001
Ealing & Hammersmith & Hounslow Health Authority (EHH)

West London Mental Health NHS Trust 2001 - present
Ealing & Hammersmith & Hounslow Health Authority (EHH) until 2006 Existing Strategic Heath Authority amalgamated with other London SHA's to become The 'London SHA'.

Tony Hillis Wing (2001)
Named after the late Tony Hillis, OBE, RMN, RGN, Dip MS. Formerly the Deputy Director of Nursing on this site. He was a great supporter of patient involvement. He also took the position of being very much non-judgemental towards those he cared for. Opened September 17th 2001, this unit serves as the local medium secure. The catchment area consists of the London boroughs of: plus the counties of:
 * Ealing,
 * Kensington Chelsea
 * Westminster
 * Hillingdon
 * Brent
 * Harrow
 * Barnet
 * West Hertfordshire,
 * East Hertfordshire
 * North Hertfordshire
 * Bedfordshire.

Wells unit (2006)
Wells is a new medium secure unit opened in June 2006. It has been designed to accommodate up to ten adolescents between the ages of 12 to 18 years. Statutory education is provided to those still of school age and other educational pursuits are offered.

It is named after an artesian well to the west of the site in an area now called the Orchard Centre. The application for Planning Permission for the Orchard had to be resubmitted in order that it could be built further south to avoid chance of  damage due to possible future subsidence. This is quite apart from it being considered a wonderful example of fine Victorian engineering of significant archeological interest and thus worthy of preservation.

Here is a description of it published in 1854: The asylum is supplied with water from an artesian well, which is considered to be the best in the kingdom. The shaft, to a depth of 31 ft., is 10 ft. in diameter, and thence to a further depth of 209 ft., 6 ft. in diameter, together, 240 ft.; the whole of which is constructed of brickwork in cement. The boring was commenced at the bottom of the shaft, with pipes of 14 in. Internal diameter; these are carried down about 50 ft., into the stratum of flint stones overlaying the chalk formation, making the whole depth from the surface about 290 ft., whence the water rises into a tank, 20 ft. above the ground-floor of the asylum, without the aid of pumps, at the ratio of 90,000 gallons per diem.

In passing: This source of water is still considered economically viable today: Only just back in September 2002, Brixton PLC applied for water extraction license from the Environment Agencyin Hatfield for  its site on the opposite side of the hospital's boundary with Windmill Lane.

The Orchard Centre (2007)
Opened on the 21st August 2007 the Orchard Centre is a 60 bed medium secure psychiatric unit for women.

Although there has been some new building on the St Bernard site over the years this may be the most significant addition since the end of the rapid expansion of the hospital back in the 1800s.

Of the 60 beds total 15 are standard medium secure and 45 'enhanced' medium secure (WEMSS) (30 of these are for women from London and 15 beds for the south east of England), making it the largest unit of its type in the UK.

It is solely for and staffed by women, with emphasise on the environment and therapy being gender sensitive. This will be especially usefully for patients who have suffered long periods of trauma as children and as a consequence, have been unable to go on to integrate normally with other people as adults. Victims can repetitively come to the attention of other areas of the health service as the frustration and anger they feel at this isolation, express its self as suicide, self-harm or aggression and other types of challenging behaviour. Also, there is a tendency or drive, to seek some respite and shut off these feelings. This is often by self-medicating with drink and drugs. Such activities may have brought them to the attention of the law courts frequently. The new unit provides both a safe physical and emotional space, in which they can discover normal responses. The 24/7 enhanced nature of the service also promises to give a chance for new and more  beneficial behaviour to be discovered and explored, and to practice these new ways of interacting with other people until it  become established in a variety of every day situations (which the design of the building and intensive therapy endeavour to provide). There is some good evidence to suggest that this significantly reduces the chances of re-offending once discharged from hospital and the staff will be aiding further research to improve outcomes still further.

Raison d' être
As a participating member at the  Fourth World Conference on Women, the United Kingdom ( represented by Baroness Chalker ) signed up to the Beijing Declaration.

In response the Department of Health conducted a consultation a found that women experiencing mental health problems where poorly catered for. This led to new guidelines being drawn up and published. Part of this guidance called for women who suffer mental problems and for whom only medium secure accommodation was needed, to be treated in way that was sympathetic with their  gender.

The WLMHT found itself in an almost unique position in both location, facilities and experience, together with a  close working relationship with the London West Mental Health R&D Consortium. All this enabled it to construct a successful business case for  a purpose built medium secure women only unit to be built on the St Bernard's site. The proposal, also over came some long standing administrative, funding and legal duty problems between regional health authority and the trust that surrounded the maintenance of some of the 'listed' historic structures of the old hospital.

The building
To meet this end, the design details and layout of the unit has been thoroughly researched to provided those features which are hoped will aid recovery to sustainable health. This work was undertaken by Tuke Manton Architects LLP of Clapham. This was undertaken in partnership with Kier Group PLC, who were chosen by the West London Mental Health Trust to be the building contractors.

Care has been taken to avoid both ligature points (beams, banisters, door knobs, hooks, shower curtain rails, etc.,) and  'blind spots' where suicide and other self-harm can happen without the knowledge of the staff. Trouble has been taken to give the décor and layout more of a domestic quality rather than normal, bland, utility austere, clinical, NHS look. All the facilities needed are contained within its perimeter so there is no need to use other parts of the hospital site unless its to help with social re-integration.

To avoid the exterior of the building from looking like one monolithic block it has been designed as two square of units of equal size and a total of 263 ft wide in the east west axis, with the west block offset by some 23 ft and the two joined by an atrium. Sporting a glazed roof, the atrium also serves as the main way into the building. Apart from through the glazed atrium, more light can ingress by way of a court yard in the centre of each of the two units. Both blocks measure from front to back are some 148 ft. Imaginative design alteration to the interior layout (brought about by council planning committee consultations) and sinking the ground floor has reduced the total high by 5 ft. This bring the building proportions more into line with those around it and preserves the well known scenic view along the Hanwell Fight of Locks. Yellow bricks have been chosen for the exterior walls which harmonize with the golden yellow handmade stocks of the Victorian buildings to the north and east. Large saplings have been planted to provide an instant screen, these also softens the overall effect, all combining to help this new facility to take its place in the exiting landscape -unlike the grey concrete carbuncles of the 1960s. Also adding character to the surrounding hard landscaping is a freshly renovated Victorian canopy or shelter (a listed Grade II structure).The canopy has shallow pitch, formed by radial timbered spares going out to twelve wooden fascia boards secured from behind by an iron ring. . The ring is supported by twelve  round and ornate cast iron columns, with another column at its centre. It was at one time, just one of many around the hospital. Erected in the airing courts their purpose was to keep rain off wooden seating. It was acknowledged even back then that fresh air and light is essential for the well being of patients. Moreover, staying outside helped to discourage the spread of the white plague caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis,  which was unfortunately only too common when the wards became over crowded. When the NHS took over running the mental hospitals they started to do away with these airing courts and so the seating was no longer maintained. For a sort time it had a chicken wired frame constructed within it, in which was kept some budgerigars until about 1982. As the number of beds shrank, this part of the hospital and its aviary became abandoned. Today, whilst the rust and guano have successfully been all removed, the name 'aviary' still sticks to it. The original finish was white oil paint, but under the NHS, almost all the iron work in the hospital has now been painted black. Security lighting, in the form of round flat lozenge shaped luminars have been unobtrusively fitted to the underside of the  canopy. It now provides shelter to a staff bicycle rack.

The planning
As the Orchard Centre is a completely new purpose built structure, it had to be subjected to a full public consultation process. There was some opposition, mainly from a mid-1990s housing estate which boarders the west edge of the new site, together with concerns regarding environmental pollution being released during the site clearance stage. During the consultation: it was argued that the unit's planed for height above ground, would unduly  impose upon the view along the Hanwell flight of locks. This is a renowned scenic view. Others felt unhappy that it would also allow the patients to see over the perimeter wall and observe people on the outside. To meet both these objections the foundation was lowered to reduces the overall height and planning permission re-applied for. Planing permission was finally granted on the 28th September 2005 but not before police removed some protesters from the public gallery.

The development of the new site as a whole required some of the existing Grade II structure of the hospital to be demolished. This was allowed on the account that these parts were not of significant architectural or historical interest to justify preserving. However, the south boundary wall (a registered ancient monument) had to under go some renovation work to make it sound again. The old artesian well (referred to as an underground reservoir) however, was considered an important Victorian artefact and thus left intact. This required the foundations of the new unit to be built a little further to the south than originally intended. The Horticulture Therapy Centre which took up one quarter of the developed area also had to be relocated to the far south east corner of the main grounds.

Demolished too, was the boiler facility and storage tanks for the thick tarry 'heavy heating oil' which provided all the hot water for both St. Bernard's Hospital and Ealing Hospital. To this end, portable natural gas boiler units had to first be placed in the Maternity car parking area and plumbed in to the existing heating system as a makeshift temporary solution, so avoiding delays to the main development. This led to even more pressure on the car parking space already lost to the building program. Therefore, all staff parking is now, by fee paid permit only. This lead back in May 2007, to the introduction (by the two principle health Trusts on the site) of a bus shuttle service that visits the local train stations to encourage commuting by pubic transport. Moreover, one of the stipulations, made in the granting of the planning application was that parking would further be reduced on site. Overall, the number of cycle racks have been quadrupled to further encourage 'green travel'.

Despite the afore said issues arising,  the building's completion, together with the new service road and landscaping, only slipped from the tentative finish date of March, made at the very start of the project -to June.

Film
The hospital was used for shooting some scenes of Stephen Poliakoff's film  She's been away (1989). Dame Peggy Ashcroft stared as Lillian Huckle; a women who was institutionalized 60 years before whilst still  a young girl, simply because she did not conform to social norms.

In the film The Bargee (directed by Duncan Wood 1963) which starred Hugh Griffith and Eric Sykes, the two charters go down the flight of locks with the Hospital in the background.

In Literature or prose
''...my eye caught an omnibus on which was written "Hanwell." ''

Men deny hell, but not, as yet, Hanwell.

G. K. Chesterton is inspired to question: Who really should be -considered mad?

Theatre
Hanwell Insane Asylum was mentioned in George Bernard Shaw's 1916 play "Pygmalion". Phonetics Professor Henry Higgins after successfully telling strangers where they were born by their accent, was jokingly told he came from Hanwell Insane Asylum.

Museum
Reverend H A Norris, (a former chaplain to the hospital) realized in the early 1980s that there were still old records at hospital which were historically important and should join the others in the Greater London Council Records Library (now part of the National Archives). He feared these would be thrown out by staff who did not appreciate their historical value. Getting little cooperation from the then hospital management, a dedicated band of volunteers formed the 'Museum Committee' to help. They searched out, recovered and thus saved much of the hospital heritage. This also included mechanical restraints, ECT machines, some of the old fixtures and fitting. The largest item by far was an original 'seclusion room' with leather covered straw padding walls and floor. Also on display was a letter written by Arthur O'Connor. He had been committed to Hanwell on May 6th 1875 for firing an unloaded pistol at Queen Victoria earlier on the 29th February. The purpose of writing was to petition for his release; which was granted on the 16th November 1876. He never came to the attention of the authorities again.

Mention should here also be made of the work of long time administrative staff member Pauline May, without whose tireless work in the 1990s, much of the museum artifacts would have been lost for ever.

Despite its growing reputation and size (taking up the whole of the available space in the disused church), the lack of  any fiscal recognition made it impossible to provide staff to assist the many  visitors who wished to view and study the collection. Therefore, it has now been dispersed to, and can be seen at:
 * Bethlem Royal Hospital Museum.
 * London Metropolitan Archives
 * Wellcome Trust
 * Gunnersbury Park Museum.