Princes Park Manor
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Princes Park Manor by Martin Addison as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

Image: © Martin Addison Taken: 25 Sep 2009
Originally Colney Hatch Asylum. Building started in 1849 to a design by S W Daukes. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert. The asylum opened in 1851. It was built to hold 1000 patients and had 6 miles of corridors - it was the largest in Europe. The site was extended over time to hold 2000 patients and the name Colney Hatch became synonymous with madness, such that the hospital name was changed on several occasions, finally becoming Friern Hospital in 1959. It closed in 1993 and was converted to housing. A fuller history is available from http://www.barnet.gov.uk/index/leisure-culture/libraries/archives/archives-histories/archives-finchleyhistories/archives-finchley-colneyhatchasylum.htm