Grove Hall Asylum

Grove Hall Asylum
Prisoners deemed mentally unfit for transportation to the colonies are sent to establishments such as Grove Hall.

An extension to the West Wing was built in the early 1800s to accommodate wounded soldiers returning from the South American Colonies.

Due to an outbreak of a deadly and extremely contagious disease this wing was then closed down and sealed up.

The disease outbreak was just a cover up to allow the Dark Water Experiments to be carried out on these wounded soldiers.

These experiments were led by Amelia Hennessey and Dr. Denison Ogilvy-Watts

Historical Inspiration
Grove Hall Lunatic Asylum

GROVE HALL LUNATIC ASYLUM, BOW

The visitor to this interesting old house has a surprise in store for him. He passes out of the Bow Road into Fairfield Road, and, after walking by some small suburban houses, he comes to a high wall on the right-hand side of the road. He rings the bell and is admitted at the gate. He then sees a large lawn and garden with shady trees, and in the far distance the imposing outline of Grove Hall.

When he comes up to the front, he finds a handsome specimen of a late seventeenth-century house, whose wings have been added in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries.

On entering the house he comes into a hall which fills the whole depth of the building, and he finds that the original front was that which […] looks upon the river Lea. This front is certainly superior to the other in architectural effect.

Within there is a fine old wooden staircase, but this has been placed at the side of the house, and is not made a feature of the interior.

There is much good oak carving and handsome mantelpieces in the different rooms, but the oak has been thickly painted over and grained in imitation of oak. The oak panelling has also been spoiled by having wall-paper pasted over it.

This is a fine specimen of a merchant’s mansion, when Bow was a highly appreciated residential neighbourhood.