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Found at the foot of the North
Downs, this town started life in the 19th century
and is now part of the London commuter belt. Its
large modern shopping centre is home to the Royal
Earlswood Museum, which has an exhibition of the
works of the savant James Henry Pullen. Known as
the 'Genius of Earlswood Asylum', he spent 66
years of his life in a local psychiatric hospital.
Despite being deaf, virtually mute and
occasionally violent, he built exquisite models of
ships, impressing royal admirers and the world at
large. He died in the hospital in 1916. Nearby are
Biggin Hill and the National Trust’s Outwood
Windmill.
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