The Times Group launches a regular column by local historians PERCY REBOUL and JOHN HEATHFIELD. Here, they look at mental illness in Barnet and the greatest peace-time disaster in hospital history

Modern methods of treating mental illnesses began in the borough of Barnet in 1851 with the opening by Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's husband) of the Middlesex County Pauper Lunatic Asylum ,, popularly known as Colney Hatch and much later (1959) renamed Friern Hospital.

In earlier times the treatment of insanity had been barbaric ,, chaining to a wall was not uncommon. Although harsh and forbidding in appearance ,, and its treatment was below today's standards ,, Colney Hatch, as the Victorians had hoped, provided relatively humane and effective treatments without recourse to 'restraint'.

Colney Hatch cost £300,000 to build ,, twice its estimate. Some 1,300 workers were employed and ten million bricks were used in its construction which was finished in only 19 months. It was virtually self-sufficient with its own farm, gardens, bakery, laundry, brewery, gas, water and sewage works.

It even had its own railway station and sidings, then called Colney Hatch, today known as New Southgate. The medical and support staff lived on the premises: there were five doctors to look after 2,250 patients in 1890. Later, many employees would have lived locally in roads such as Beaconsfield, Parkhurst and Bellevue Roads.

From the start, the building was found to be too small to meet demand. It was even enlarged during construction to take 1,250 patients. In 1896, a temporary building of wood and corrugated iron was connected to the main building to house an extra 320 women. In 1903, this caught fire and amid scenes of the utmost horror described in the local newspapers, 51 women lost their lives ,, the worst ever peace-time disaster in hospital history.

Friern Hospital closed in March 1993 after a phasing-out programme. Predictably, its 165 acres became a prime target for property developers and, amid much local opposition, plans were put in hand to develop the site. Happily, the famous frontage of the building (1884 feet long) was protected as an historic monument where it still stands today as a reminder of the thousands of patients who passed through its doors.