Much-loved TV comedian, presenter and children's author David Walliams was last night the subject of an episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' on the BBC.
As part of the programme where he traced his family history, he paid a visit to Cane Hill in Coulsdon to learn more about his paternal great grandfather: John George Boorman.
Many locals will be aware that Cane Hill was for over 100 years the site of a psychiatric facility. Since opening in 1883 it admitted thousands of patients including relatives of silent film star Charlie Chaplin, legendary actor Michael Caine and iconic singer David Bowie.
During both the First World War and Second World War the hospital took in a large number of discharged mentally ill servicemen, with records showing that the earliest such patient was admitted in 1915.
John Boorman was one such patient, admitted to the hospital in 1919 following service in the First World War.
You can read more about the episode here and if you missed it you can watch it on the BBC.
Two years ago the Croydon Advertiser wrote an excellent history of Cane Hill Hospital, which is well worth a read.
Following its slow decline and the sad fire of 2010, Cane Hill has in recent years been the site of a wonderful new housing development seeing some 600 high-quality homes coming to our area. The community on Cane Hill is now thriving, with a busy Residents' Association and lots to do for local people.
The former hospital chapel that David visits during the episode has been preserved and is being restored by Haxted. You can keep up to date with their ongoing renovation works on their Instagram page.
If you're interested in finding out more about the history of Cane Hill, then I recommend the following sites:
