Merrifield Children's Unit
Hospital in Somerset, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merrifield Children's Unit (also known as Merryfield or colloquially as Merrifields) was a residential children's and adolescents' psychiatric institution in the grounds of Tone Vale Hospital (an adult mental hospital) approximately 3 km (1.9 miles) north west of Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton, Somerset, England, in what is now the village Cotford St Luke.[1]
| Merrifield Children's Unit | |
|---|---|
View of the extended Merrifield Children's Unit, as officially opened in March 1976 | |
  Shown in Somerset | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cotford St Luke, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates | 51.0392°N 3.1886°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | NHS |
| Type | Psychiatric institution for children |
| History | |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Closed | 1995 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
History
The Merrifield Unit was established by psychiatrist Dr Martin Frank (known as 'Jim') Bethell (d. 1982)[2] as a regional unit for the treatment of young people.[3] By November 1961, it was catering for 36 'psychotic and maladjusted' children.[4] In the mid-1970s, the Merrifield buildings were upgraded, and a substantial new extension was opened in March 1976 by Sir Desmond Pond.[3]
The Unit served the whole of South West England, and for much of its existence its management was under the control of Dr Bethell and nursing officer Donald Mackey.[5] Other child psychiatry specialists associated with Merrifield included Dr Adriaan Bakker[6] and Dr Frank Bayley.[7] Of the Merrifield patients, one observer notes, "Some of the children, although highly disturbed, were extremely well read and educated."[5]
Tone Vale Hospital, Merrifield Unit's parent institution, was closed in 1995,[1] as was Merrifield itself.[8] The entire site is now occupied by the newly built village of Cotford St Luke.[9] Merrifield is succeeded by the Orchard Lodge Young People's Unit located in Cotford St Luke.[10]
References and allusions in literature
In her memoir, The Light in My Mind,[11] Joyce Passmore writes of being admitted to Merrifield in 1957 at the age of 13 suffering with epilepsy, prior to being transferred to the main adult hospital.[12] The novel Delivered Unto Lions[13] by David Austin is based on the experiences of a Merrifield patient in the 1970s.[8]
