AN archive project to catalogue more than 1,000 boxes of patient records detailing the treatment of mental health at the North Wales Hospital has been completed.

Experts at Denbighshire Archives handled the historic records written at the Denbigh mental health asylum during its operation since the 19th century, including patient details, committee meeting minutes and social events plans – many of which have never been seen.

The Denbighshire County Council archive service, which offers public advice on original historical documents, was awarded £130,000 by health charity Wellcome in 2017 to employ a specialist team to carry out the project. It included the listing and conservation of a total of 32,000 records relating to the treatment of mental illness across North Wales between the hospital opening in 1848 and the establishment of the NHS in 1948.

The main aim of the project was to make the extensive collection more accessible for research and, due to the rarity of its size, it will now provide a valuable source of information for medical historians studying how mental health care has changed in recent centuries.

Lindsey Sutton, project archivist, said the archive is “massively important” to understanding the development of mental health treatment, “as well as the social history of North Wales as the archives detail the lives people who were often undocumented in the early period”.

“I was not aware of how much the treatment of mental health changed over the years and the records show how integral the hospital was in developing and using new methods,” she said.

The North Wales Hospital had more than 1,500 patients by the late 20th century and engaged with the Denbigh community through volunteer work, community events and festivals. It was by far the biggest employer in the area and, as such, the archive reflects its social and economic significance to the town.

The hospital was also vital for Welsh-speaking patients when previously they had to travel to England.

Cllr Tony Thomas, Denbighshire County Council’s cabinet member for housing, regulation and the environment, said the archive project is a “huge achievement” by the specialist team and has “so much potential for future research”.

“Although most of the collection is closed to researchers to adhere to data protection legislation and respect patient confidentiality it is important the collection is preserved to enable access to those interested in tracing developments in treatments of mental health patients in the future,” he said.

Denbighshire Archives is hosting an exhibition event on Thursday, November 28 to mark the end of the Unlocking the Asylum project. It will feature talks from the archivists themselves, as well as a Denbighshire County Council representative on the future of the former hospital site.

To book, contact Denbighshire Archives by calling 01824 708250 or email archives@denbighshire.gov.uk