The Priory

The Priory Hospital, Roehampton
Priory Group
The Priory Hospital
Geography
Location	Roehampton, London, England, United Kingdom
Organisation
Hospital type	Mental health: outpatient and residential
Services
Beds	107
History
Founded	1872
Links
Website	priorygroup.com
Lists	Hospitals in England

The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to by the media and others simply as The Priory, is a mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm, Advent International.

The Priory treats mild to moderate mental health issues, such as stress and anxiety, through outpatient treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as well as in-patient care for more severe psychiatric illness such as depression, psychotic illness, addictions or eating disorders. It has residential facilities for 107 patients. A number of celebrities have sought treatment there, leading to widespread coverage in the press.

The Priory operates from a Grade II Listed Building located in Roehampton in South West London. Originally a private home, it was built in 1811 in the Gothic revival style. The Priory has been variously described in the press as a "white Gothic mansion", "Strawberry Hill Gothic", and "a white-painted fantasy of Gothic spikes and battlements". It was reported in 2010 that the Priory had undergone a £3 million refurbishment to restore it to its original 1811 condition. Rooms were reportedly refurnished and repainted in colours intended to promote "well-being".

The Priory was converted from a private home into a hospital in 1872 by William Wood, one of the first modern psychiatrists. It is London's longest established private psychiatric hospital. Early "celebrity" patients included, in the 1880s, the wife of the Victorian politician Jabez Balfour, and, in the 1960s, the American singer Paul Robeson.