History of Essex County Hospital

Essex County HospitalHistory of Essex County Hospital

Essex County Hospital is the subject of the Local History Group‘s next meeting in the Orpen Hall on October 11th.  The Group is hoping for another large audience for the meeting which starts at 7.30 pm.  Dr. Fabrizio Casale, a retired consultant, will be talking about “The History of the Essex County Hospital”.  Over recent years the facilities offered by the Essex County Hospital have been replaced by those at the Colchester General Hospital.  The listed main entrance, built around 1820, is still impressive.  This talk will provide an insight into how the hospital developed over the past nearly-200 years.

Whether you are already a member or not you are very welcome to attend as a visitor for this talk.  Members pay £2 and Visitors £3.  Their last meeting in September drew a good mix of new & old members and a number of visitors as well.

Camp 186 – The Lost Town at Berechurch

Local historian, Ken Free, introduced the history of Camp 186 to the group’s September meeting; new and old History Group members together with a number of visitors attended.  Also known as the lost village of Berechurch, Camp 186 was believed to be the largest German Prisoner of War camp, during World War 2, in England.

Ken talked about the considerable personal research undertaken to extend his knowledge of the camp and the prisoners.  As a child, he had seen some attending what was then the Headgate Congregational Church, now the Headgate Theatre. The site of Camp 186 is now the Military Correction Centre on Berechurch Road.

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