Royal Albert Asylum
| Royal Albert Hospital (former) | |
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Central section of the Royal Albert Hospital
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| Location | Ashton Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, England |
| Coordinates | 54°02′01″N 2°48′03″W / 54.0336°N 2.8008°WCoordinates: 54°02′01″N 2°48′03″W / 54.0336°N 2.8008°W |
| Formed | SD 477,601 |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Built | 1868–73 |
| Architect | E. G. Paley |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body | Jamea Al Kauthar |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Royal Albert Hospital (original part only) | |
| Designated | 30 November 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1194930 |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Lodge to Royal Albert Hospital | |
| Designated | 30 November 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1219861 |
 Location in Lancaster
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The former Royal Albert Hospital is in Ashton Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It opened in 1870 as an institution for the care and education of children with learning problems. By 1909 there were 662 children in residence. Following new legislation in 1913, adults were also admitted. By the time of the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948 the hospital had 886 patients, and by the 1960s there were over 1,000 patients. Following legislation in the 1980s, the patients were relocated in the community, and the hospital closed in 1996. The building was acquired by Jamea Al Kauthar Islamic College to provide Islamic education for girls. The main part of the hospital is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and its west lodge is listed at Grade II.
The hospital was built between 1868 and 1873, and designed by the local architect E. G. Paley. Its original name was "Royal Albert Asylum for idiots and imbeciles of the seven northern counties". An additional building, the Winmarleigh Recreation Hall was built at the rear of the hospital and designed by Paley, Austin and Paley (E. G. Paley in partnership with his son, Henry, and with Hubert Austin). In 1898–1901, following the death of E. G. Paley, the practice (now Austin and Paley) designed a new south wing, named the Ashton wing.
The hospital was established under the Lunacy Act 1845, at a time when there was little understanding of the difference between learning disability and mental illness, to provide care and education for children with learning disabilities. It took patients from the seven northern counties of England between the ages of 6 and 15. It was a voluntary hospital, whose financial provision came entirely from public subscription. The foundation stone was laid in 1868. The first patients entered the hospital in December 1870, and in August 1871 the first girls were admitted. By 1874 it had 196 patients. In 1884 the hospital was renamed as the "Royal Albert Asylum for the Care, Education and Training of Idiots, Imbeciles and Weak-Minded children and Young Persons of the Northern Counties". By 1909 there were 662 patients in residence, 85 per cent of whom were aged under 15. During the following year the hospital was renamed again, this time to "The Royal Albert Institution, Lancaster".
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