Description
The 'Ewell Epileptic Colony' opened in 1903. It was the third of the ‘Epsom Hospital Cluster’ – a group of five large psychiatric hospitals west of Epsom. ‘Colonies’ were a type of institution where people with disabilities or illnesses lived together in self-contained ‘villages’. They were established for people with epilepsy, tuberculosis and – following the 1913 ‘Mental Deficiency Act’ – for people classed as ‘mental defectives’. Sometimes people whose behaviour simply did not conform to the moral values of mainstream society were also admitted. Often, between 900 to 1,500 people would live in these ‘villages’, in ‘villas’ which housed up to 60 people. The ‘Ewell Epileptic Colony’ was built in a ‘dispersed colony’ format with villas around the site for patients and staff. Sites may have included a school, workshops, kitchen, laundry, and farm, which provided education and (unpaid) employment. There may also have been recreational halls and playing fields. ‘Colonies’ were first built in the 19th century. Some became psychiatric hospitals in the mid to late 20th century, however some continued until the 1990s. The 'Ewell Epileptic Colony' was known as 'Ewell Mental Hospital' in the 1920s and 1930s, and was renamed St Ebba’s Hospital in 1938.
Sources: Historic England, ‘Disability History Glossary’, Historic England website, accessed 18/02/2026.
Historic England, ‘'Mental Deficiency' Between the Wars: Life in the Colony’, Historic England website, accessed 18/02/2026.
Historic England, ‘The Shifting Borderlands of Disability’, Historic England website, accessed 18/02/2026.
