Broadmoor alerts

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Broadmoor Hospital is one of three NHS high security psychiatric hospitals in the UK. We live half a mile away from it. It houses about 230 men, aged eighteen and above. Not all the inmates are criminals. Some are hospitalised under the Mental Health Act because of mental illness or personality disorders which, untreated, could lead to them harming themselves or others.

In 1952, following a breakout by a dangerous individual who then murdered a young girl, a network of thirteen sirens was established to warn residents of nearby towns and villages in case of further escapes.

The sirens used to be sounded every Monday morning at 10.00 and could be heard across a radius of two miles. People would set their clocks by them. One Monday, when they went off, people realised their timepieces were slow. They muttered and reset their watches only to discover later that an escape had been effected, just moments before the alarm was due to be tested.

If the sirens sounded while children were at school, the doors were locked and the children retained until their parents or carers could come to collect them. Once, an inmate escaped and was so terrified by the noise and freedom that he went into a police station and gave himself up. Another time, the escapee hid in a local resident’s shed.

Overall, there have been few escapes.

In 2018, the wailing sirens were decommissioned, to be replaced by a digital alert system, which can relay through television, social media, and messaging services. The hospital, now in new premises, relies on double perimeter fencing, more than three hundred cameras and special coordination with Thames Valley Police.

Occasionally, we meet some of the staff when we’re out with the dogs. They are tough, interesting individuals with many a tale to tell. Broadmoor is not a workplace for the inattentive or faint of heart.

My daughter-in-law’s mother was a psychiatric social worker who used to visit Broadmoor from time to time.

I miss the sirens.

Which came first?

 

Which came first?

Wellington College

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I live in Berkshire, England, in a place called Crowthorne. It is a village, although the part we live in is actually Wokingham Without, though what it lacks is not specified.

The village is quite large and is not an attractive, chocolate box spot with thatched roofs and roses round the door. Photographs of it will never appear on festive tins of shortbread. It’s more of a place people travel through to reach somewhere else. Since the bypass was built, more than thirty years ago, most travellers now don’t have to go anywhere near it.

Crowthorne is known mainly for two institutions, at either end of the village. Wellington College, situated on four hundred acres near the station, which was specifically built to serve it, was originally a boys’ independent school but is now fully co-educational. It educates around 1100 students between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, who enjoy superb facilities. Known principally as a boarding school, it also accommodates day pupils. In common with many such establishments, its facilities are shared with the local community and offer employment to local people. Boarding fees are around £51,000 per annum. Day school fees are about £36,000.

Old Broadmoor Hospital

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

At the other end of the village, bordering the forest, is Broadmoor Hospital, the best-known of England’s three high-security psychiatric hospitals. Though principally known as a secure environment for dangerous criminals, it also treats men who have never been convicted of criminal activity, but who pose a grave risk to themselves and/or others. It has an annual turn-over of about fifty men and the average age at admission is twenty-nine. Some stay for only a brief period, others are discharged after five or six years. A small percentage, around 5%, remain at the hospital for more than twenty years.

Some of the more notorious inpatients have included the Yorkshire Ripper, who spent thirty years in Broadmoor and the gangster, Ronnie Kray, both now dead.

Current inmates include Michael Adebowale, convicted for murdering the British soldier, Lee Rigby, in 2013, and Ian Ball, who was found guilty of attempting to kidnap Princess Anne, now the Princess Royal, in 1974.

One of the most interesting inmates was a retired American Army surgeon, W.C. Minor. He fought in the American Civil War and afterwards moved to England. He suffered from delusions and shot a man he suspected of breaking into his room. He was not considered dangerous, but even so spent thirty-eight years in the hospital, before being deported to the USA, where he died in Connecticut in 1920.

While at Broadmoor, he was able to buy books from London booksellers and became aware of the call for entries to what would become the Oxford English Dictionary.

Robert Maudsley is a serial murderer once held in Broadmoor. He was the inspiration for Hannibal Lecter.

It costs between £200,000 to £300,000 per annum to accommodate a single patient in Broadmoor. The warders, officially known as nurses, are tough individuals and interesting characters to talk to. We sometimes meet one or two when we’re out with the dogs. They often prove to have an enduring sense of humour, rather necessary when dealing with damaged minds. It’s hard to find humanity in some who have committed heinous crimes, but, as the Quakers advise, we must strive to find ‘that of God’ in every human being.

A new hospital building was opened in 2019, after six years of construction. The old hospital was a forbidding-looking red brick Victorian building, which was considered to be no longer effective for modern psychiatric treatment. The new building is light and airy, with attractive gardens. The aim is to rehabilitate patients, not punish them for being ill.

Plans for the old building, which is Grade II listed and cannot be demolished without official consent, include redeveloping the sixty acre site, with new homes and new apartments for older people, converting fifty-six apartments in the original building, and providing a care home for sixty people. 

When we first moved to Crowthorne and for many years after, 10.00 am on a Monday morning was the time for the Broadmoor klaxon to be tested. People set their watches by it. The sirens were decommissioned around 2018, to be replaced by alerts through social media, radio, and television. I’m not sure how effective those alerts are. Not everyone listens to local radio or watches television. I suppose mobile ‘phones are better equipped to warn people, but I still think a wailing siren is harder to ignore.

Escapes are rare. The last serious one was attempted by a child rapist in 1991. Road blocks were set up and all vehicles were stopped and checked. Barry had just arrived at the forest, ready for a run with the dogs. On the track leading into the trees, the police had erected a tape, on the understanding, presumably, that no-one escaping would think to go either side of it. They stopped Barry and showed him a photograph of the inmate and said, ‘If you see him, run back here and tell us.’

Barry didn’t see him, and the patient was recaptured two days later.

So, which came first? Both were Victorian establishments.

Broadmoor Hospital was built in 1863, and the first patients were women.

The foundation stone for Wellington College was laid by Queen Victoria in 1856, and the first pupils entered in 1859. It was built as a monument to the Duke of Wellington, the ‘Iron Duke,’ and was intended to educate the orphaned sons of army officers killed in battle. 

(Can you be an orphan if one parent is still alive? You can if the deceased parent was the major family support.)

 

 

Crows

 

Crows

We live in Crowthorne, in Berkshire, UK. It is home to two well-known institutions, Wellington College and Broadmoor Hospital. The former is a fee-paying co-educational school for pupils from 13 to 18, which opened in 1859 as a national monument to honour the Duke of Wellington. The latter is a maximum-security psychiatric hospital, one of three in England, and has housed some of the most dangerous criminals in England. It opened in 1863. Is there a sinister link between the two? (insert wink emoji)

The Crowthorne badge, top left of the sign, shows a crow on a branch or thorn. The village is named after a local landmark, the Crow Thorn

There are many crows in the area, as might be deduced from the name. These clever birds are noisy, bold and entertaining. They quickly recognise food sources and follow dog walkers who carry treats.

Several years ago, we used to feed two crows we called Bill and Beatrice, and subsequently their two offspring. They were opportunistic feeders and would switch their allegiance readily from us to others. The ground where we walked in Crowthorne Forest, more properly Swinley Forest, was open and the family could easily see the biscuits.

There are many small ponds in the woods, very attractive to dogs and ducks, and we used to throw biscuits in for the crows. It was amazing to watch them dive down, almost submerge and then flap up and away with the prize in their bill.

Simon’s Wood, where we walk at present, has thick layers of leaves, rotting beautifully into a rich, aromatic mulch. 

There is a fairly large pool which hosts a variety of water birds – Canada geese, little grebes, coot and mallard among others. The crows do not dive for biscuits here.

It is apparent that the crows have territories in which they are comfortable, for when we reach the boundaries, invisible to us, they no longer follow us. At present, we have another family of four to feed. They seem to recognise us, or perhaps it’s the dogs, or the treat bags we carry. Maybe they just watch to find out if they’re going to be lucky.

Crow 1:‘Oh, there’s a human. Let’s follow him for a while and see if he’ll feed us.’

Crow 2: ‘Watch out for the dogs. They’ll steal our grub.’

Crow 1: ‘Children alert. They often drop food.’

Crow 2: ‘Look, more dogs. I wonder if they’ll have treats?’

One of the current family has a degree of leucism, only clearly visible when she flies. Unoriginally, we call her White Wings. She can easily be mistaken for a magpie from a distance.

We also have crows in the garden. A few years ago, when Jenna, our little black Labrador, was very young, one of the crows used to sit atop one of the arches and bow to her. I think he must have been an immature male to have mistaken a four-legged dog for a two-legged crow and start courting her. At least, I think that was what he was doing. I’m not an expert and am willing to be corrected.

Crows can be extremely vocal, particularly if they feel threatened. A crow will chase away a red kite, even though a kite is substantially larger than a crow.

Aesop was a Greek slave and story-teller who lived around 620 BCE. He recognised the intelligence of the crow and illustrated it in his fable of the Crow and the Pitcher.

Is this crow engaged in trickery or is he about to burst into song?

'Me and my shadow . . . ' 

Desperately seeking . . .

Desperately seeking . . .

Yesterday I was desperately seeking inspiration. I tried two different prompts and wrote some very indifferent verse, even more indifferent than usual, that is. I gave up in the end, fed up. I was beginning to wonder if my brain was shrinking but actually I was tired and today is a better day so I turned to the photographs Barry took recently in Simons Wood.

I have been going to Simons Wood regularly in recent months because the ponds in Crowthorne Forest have been polluted by a heating oil spillage from Broadmoor Hospital. This is not the first time this has happened but on the last occasion, several years ago, we had Dalmatians who enjoyed the water but could be dissuaded from going in the ponds. This is not possible with the Labradors we now have. They make a bee-line for any body of water and will swim just for the sheer pleasure of the experience. I really wanted to have some photos of Roxy in the water when she first started swimming but I can’t cope with four/five dogs, the ball flinger, four (!) balls and a camera. She swam vertically! As Bethan said, ‘She looks as though she doesn’t want to get her hair wet.’

Jenna, one of the four balls in her mouth.

Left to right: Jenna, Lolly, Gus, Bertie, Roxy playing at being a hearth rug. The human is me.

My Master Photographer does not yet trust his new knee sufficiently to walk as far as the lake and his old knee, soon to be replaced, will not allow him to stand for extended periods. That makes him sound a poor old crock but he isn’t; it’s just that his knees got knackered through too many sports injuries. His left leg is now straight and soon his right leg will be too. The odd thing is that he lists to the right because that leg is shorter for the moment.

 Simons Wood is lovely – a mix of evergreens and broad-leaved trees with decades of leaf mould underfoot combine to produce a beautiful, calming environment. There are many different paths to take but the one the dogs like most is the one leading to the lake.

Lolly is staying with us at the moment as Bethan and Robert and Charlie are in Puglia in Italy. She is very good but I’m sure she misses her family. She heard Bethan’s voice yesterday when she called to see if Lolly was behaving herself and her ears pricked up excitedly. The compensation for her is having the company of our dogs, particularly Roxy. She and Roxy play together constantly and are exhausted by evening. When Lolly goes home next week she will probably sleep flat out for a couple of days.

Isambard, the dog whisperer

Lolly has not yet learnt that the cats have not been provided for her entertainment. She watches them closely and leaps on them when they move suddenly. Our Ocicats are tolerant – Isambard, the dog whisperer, makes every attempt to befriend Lolly and is gradually persuading her to accept his advances but Susannah’s Somalis take a very different attitude. They’re small and feisty with sharp claws and teeth. Lolly will learn eventually, hopefully not the hard way. J

This is how the cats expect dogs to behave (Jellicoe, back, Isambard fore.) Bertie is their favourite dog.

Bertie and Herschel

Herschel (fore) and Solomon. 

Solomon

 I am linking to Saturday’s Critters, hosted by eileeninmd and Camera Critters

ABC Wednesday I is for Institution

There are two institutions in the village, both well-known though for very different reasons. The first is Wellington College, an independent (fee-paying) educational establishment which was founded in 1859 by Queen Victoria and the Earl of Derby. It was established as a national monument to honour the Duke of Wellington, one of our most distinguished British military leaders.

Wellington College South Front

Photo courtesy of RTPeat and Wikimedia Commons

Initially it was intended as a charitable educational institution mainly for the orphaned sons of army officers. It is now fully co-educational and only a minority of students are sons and daughters of military officers.The College stands in 400 acres of beautiful wooded land within which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, home to many unusual ants and spiders. The building and grounds have been used as film locations. ('Lords of Discipline' (1983), 'Thunderbirds' (2004))

Former students include the impressionist Rory Bremner, author Sebastian Faulks, actor Christopher Lee, writer George Orwell, singer Will Young and the rugby union players James Haskell and brothers Max and Thom Evans.
The governors of the College were responsible for the building of the local railway station. They put pressure on the directors of South Eastern Railway and contributed £500 towards the cost of building the station which was originally named 'Wellington College for Crowthorne.' It became simply 'Crowthorne' in 1928.

Photo courtesy of BBC

Four years later, at the other end of the village, Broadmoor Hospital was founded in 53 acres of land. It used to be known as the 'Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum', then a 'hospital for the criminally insane' and now, more correctly, as a high-security psychiatric hospital. It ceased to serve women in 2007 and now caters solely for men. Most of the patients, known in local common parlance as 'inmates' have severe mental illnesses and many also have personality disorders. In addition, most of the population of the hospital have been convicted, or found unfit to plead, in trials of serious crimes. Patients usually remain in the hospital for an average of six years but some have lived there for more than thirty years.In 1952 one of the 'patients' escaped and killed a local child; thereafter an alarm system was set up. This is tested every Monday morning at 10:00 am for two minutes and is based on WWII air-raid sirens. If someone escapes the alarm continues to sound. If not, the 'all-clear' sounds. All local schools within 15 miles can hear the hooters.
Many local people set their watches and clocks by the Broadmoor siren. One inmate timed his escape to coincide with the regular testing.
There have only been two occasions when the sirens have continued their wailing during the more than thirty years we have lived here. In the first instance I drove home from work with my very young children in the car (Barry was working abroad, of course!) negotiated the police checkpoints and reached my house, left the children in the car and approached cautiously. A neighbour came to reassure me and we duly went indoors and locked every door and window.
On the second occasion the escapee travelled swiftly to Europe and the sirens were eventually silenced! Reputedly it takes an hour to search the grounds before the alarm is sounded by which time the inmate might be anywhere in the locality. Once one man escaped and hid in a local house. Another gave himself up – the pace of life 'outside' was too fast and he preferred the security of the hospital.
Broadmoor is home to the mad, bad and dangerous to know. Come to Crowthorne - all human life is here!
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