Everywhere you go in England you see something interesting, consider the Royal Holloway Sanatorium, which is viewable from my home (we actually live on these grounds):

Built in 1885 by Thomas Holloway for ‘mentally afflicted persons’ and designed by W.H. Crossland who also designed the Royal Holloway University of London, it was founded at his wife’s encouragement to do good works with his money.

It is now the center of a housing development with apartments and gym facilities – but remains well maintained, the benefit of a very strict heritage program in the UK. Of interest, Bill Bryson who’s humorous books on travel to the UK and Europe are famous met his wife while working at the sanitarium

How did Thomas make his money? He was a salesman ….

Holloway had made his fortune from the sale of his pills and ointment, both designed to cure all ills. Where Holloway differed from other ‘quack medicine’ vendors was that he was one of the earliest entrepreneurs to appreciate the value of advertising. He spent huge amounts of money promoting his cures throughout the world and, as a result, reaped huge rewards. Holloway was also a man with a conscience and he spent a considerable portion of his fortune on ‘good deeds’.

The inside of the building is breathtaking …. Amazing and now part of our daily life.