 The Oakwood Hospital was founded as the "Kent County Lunatic Asylum" in 1833.It was designed as one building, commonly referred to as St Andrew's House, using an early corridor design by the surveyor to the County of Kent, John Whichcord Snr (who also designed Maidstone County Gaol).It was erected between 1829 and 1833 on a site in Barming Heath, just to the west of Maidstone.