Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum Fire, London 1903
Colney Hatch was an asylum operated by the London County Council, housing what were referred to at the time the “pauper insane.” More than 3,000 resided there and the facility was comprised of several brick and mortar buildings as well as others of wood. Long, dimly lit corridors were one of its features. It was located in the region of New Southgate, had limited fire-fighting facilities and insufficient water pressure, and its reputation suffered by the predominant anti-mental health facility prejudice of the day.
On January 27, 1903 Colney Hatch was struck by a fire which swept through what was known as the Jewish Wing of the facility, resulting in the deaths of 52 women, and leading to headlines in the London newspapers of multiple “lunatics” escaping and remaining at large. Why a separate wing was set up to isolate Jewish patients is not known for certainty, it may have been for practical reasons such as dietary restrictions, or it may have been a reflection of the wide-spread prejudices of the day.
Firefighters were forced to create a dam across a nearby stream to enable them to pump sufficient water for battling the flames. A report in the Boston Evening Transcript described the deaths of many of the victims occurring in the long hallways where they were overcome by the combined effects of smoke inhalation and panic in the dark. Others were found dead in their beds, with many of the bodies badly burnt. Others were crowded into corners, huddled together on the floor. All of the windows of the asylum were barred with iron.
The building itself was built of pine and tarpaper, and according to press reports – the fire burned hot enough to turn the iron bars in the windows to a glowing red. None of the asylum’s buildings were equipped with fire escapes and the entire facility was enclosed with a high wall, preventing anyone wanting to render assistance to reach the scene other than by entering through the security gate. The majority of the 500 residents of the Jewish wing were women, described as elderly by the press reports of the time.
According to one report the inmates became “…so wild with excitement that they were not only unable to help themselves, but hindered the operations of those trying to save them.” The Colney Hatch Asylum fire is virtually forgotten today, despite it being one of the most deadly fires in London’s history since the eighteenth century. The asylum was renamed Friern Hospital and remained a psychiatric facility until the 1990s. Today, the site of the Colney Hatch Asylum is covered with luxury apartment buildings. There is no memorial for the victims of the fire of 1903.