West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum (now known as Stanley Royd Hospital)

In the Victorian Era, one name stood out from all the mental asylums that were dotted across the UK. The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum was founded in 1818 and was designed by Samuel Tyke.  Before the insitution was built, the other single asylum in Yorkshire was based at York which had been shrouded in scandal and it brought about the Quaker Retreat in York itself.
The first big name to direct the asylum was WIlliam Charles Ellis who instrumented the growth of the asylum's holding of patients from 150 patients to well over 1,000 in 35 years.  This sounded about right considering the national figures for that time period increased from 5,000 to a whopping 50,000.
In more modern times, the last major news story to come out from the asylum was the death of 19 patients and the infection of 300 more after a food poisoning outbreak occured. Whether this led to the asylum finally closing it's doors remains to be seen. 
The original building still stands today and it had a small museum that houses various original objects of the time of the asylum. I shall have to pay a visit one day.

 There is no individuals at the asylum that have been named so I shall post a couple of photos of some patients housed at the asylum. (P.S. They may be upsetting images so look away now if you are easily upset)

 
















References - Information from www.bshs.org.uk/travel-guide/west-riding-lunatic-asylum-wakefield

Images locations are from unknown sources.