Wanstead Hospital

Wanstead Hospital was a former NHS hospital situated on Hermon Hill in Snaresbrook, not far from Wanstead in north-east London.

Wanstead Hospital
Wanstead Hospital
Location within Redbridge
Geography
Location	London, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51.5845°N 0.0264°E
Organisation
Care system	NHS England
Services
Emergency department	No
History
Opened	1938
Closed	1986

History

The building was originally constructed to accommodate the Merchant Seamans' Orphan Asylum and was opened by Prince Albert in 1861.[1][2] A chapel was added in 1863.[2] The orphans moved to Bearwood House in Wokingham and the orphan asylum became a convent in 1921.[3] The building was taken over by Essex County Council and converted to use as a hospital in 1938.[2] It joined the National Health Service in 1948 but, after services were transferred to Whipps Cross Hospital, closed in 1986.[2]

The majority of the building was gutted internally and converted into apartments.[2] The hospital's old chapel lay empty until 1995 it was purchased by what was then the Buckhurst Hill Reform Synagogue. The building was refurbished to a high standard and is now the Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue.[2]

The exterior of the hospital was used for the opening credits of the Doctor in the House comedy series produced by London Weekend Television from 1969.[4]

See also

• Healthcare in London
• List of hospitals in England

References

1. Powell, W R (1973). "'Wanstead: Introduction', in A History of the County of Essex". London. p. 317-322. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
2. "Wanstead Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
3. "Your Story: The Forest Group of Hospitals". BBC. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
4. "History: A look into the past of Wanstead Hospital". East London and West Essex Guardian. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2018.

Further reading

• Dowling, Ian; Harris, Nick (1994). Wanstead & Woodford. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0113-0.