In the late 1990s, Shenley Mental Hospital closed and most of the existing site was demolished (with
the exception of the Water Tower which we could see to the south-east of the Harperbury site and
the original country house which reverted back to housing).
Harperbury Hospital will eventually share its fate. A new school has been built to the north of the site, next
to the hospital’s entrance. Further new villas and accommodation have been built for patients following the alignment of
the northwest loop, replacing the original 1930s villas. The rest of the site will be bulldozed and
given over to new housing.
Like the mental hospitals, the days of the mental colonies are dwindling to an end. The latest images of the
site suggest that demolition has started. But Harperbury will always been remembered; if not for the care
and provision made for all the people who stayed there, but for the pioneering work with Intensive Interaction
and Vibroacoustice Therapy.
But for now, this part of Harperbury is empty.
