Kingsley Green

History

The Royal Flying Corps, who were based at the London Colney aerodrome, used the site as an aircraft storage facility during the First World War. In 1924 Middlesex County Council purchased Porters Park Estate, totaling to create both the Harperbury and Shenley hospitals. On 25 October 1928, the new mental hospital started operations as the Hangers Certified Institution named after the three remaining aerodrome hangers on the site. The first patients were eight males who were put to the task of cleaning out the hangers, which were converted into wards for use by more patients. Soon eighty-six male patients lived and worked on the site. and the construction, which was undertaken by constructed by John Laing & Son, A building to house nurses was built west of the administration building. Tennis courts and sports grounds were also built. When the complex was completed in 1936, it accommodated male, female and pediatric patients. It is said at times 700 persons were employed at a time in the construction of the hospital. When the Second World War started, Middlesex Colony had 1,194 patients. Following the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s, plans were introduced to close the Shenley, Napsbury and Harperbury hospitals. Patients were moved out of all three hospitals. However, in 1995 and 1998 Harperbury received a temporary influx of patients as the other two institutions closed. Thieves ripped out copper wiring that on two occasions resulted in power disruptions and outages at Harperbury. Two men were arrested and charged in this incident. In May 2009 a new mental health facility was created by converting space in old buildings into what became known as the Oak and Beech Units. In July 2011 this facility was renamed Kingsley Green after Sir…