This was built as a workhouse in 1775-78 by the parish of St Paul’s Covent Garden, on the site of their old burial ground, and acquired its pair of projecting end blocks in 1829, when it became known as the Strand Union Workhouse. An article in the medical journal The Lancet in 1865, reporting on the grim conditions in the workhouse, very largely contributed to the passing of the 1867 Metropolitan Poor Act. The Central London Sick Asylum District, an amalgam of former Poor Law Unions, then used the building as an infirmary until it became part of the Middlesex Hospital in 1927 and used up until recently as an outpatients department.

The Croydon General Hospital building were condemned due to its age and state of disrepair. The demolition process was lengthy because the demolition firm aims to salvage most of the brick, timber and tiles. These will be sold to offset the costof the demolition. Some stone work from the existing building will be conserved and incorporated into the new development.

In 1900, Sir Henry Chester left £75,000 and Sir William Lancaster donated a site which resulted in Putney Hospital.The hospital has been empty since 1999 Its future use has been complicated by questions over where its boundaries with Putney Common lie and by the existence of a covenant. This states that the land, given to the people of Putney for a hospital 100 years ago, must not be used for any other purpose.Latest reports say the site has been announced as the chosen location for the new Putney Primary Care Centre.which would house three Putney GP practices.

"Wandsworth Council is demanding urgent talks to resolve the delay, expressing concerns over the cost and time taken to get plans off the ground.It is calling for a public meeting to discuss architects' latest proposals for the medical centre, amid claims maintaining the empty building has cost more than £1million.John Horrocks, of the Putney Society, said the project manager for the site, Tony Johnstone, met with the society four years ago and told it he was spending £320,000 a year on security.Mr Horrocks said if this figure is multiplied by the six years the site has lain empty, together with architects' fees, it is easy to see how total costs would spiral upwards to more than £1million."

Barnes Common is said to be haunted by the spectre of a man dressed in convict’s clothing, including broad arrows, who is said to glide around the common as if intent on committing a crime. A man described how, whilst he was crossing the common one night, he saw the figure walk out of a pond and move noiselessly past him. He turned round only to find that the figure had disappeared, although there was nowhere for him to have hidden. It is thought that the figure was the ghost of a convict who had escaped from nearby Putney Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment, and had drowned in the pond whilst being chased across the common.

Central London District Sick Asylum was erected in 1898-1900 "in the country" at Colindale. The site cost £12,500 and the foundation stone was laid on 6th June, 1898. Its layout was based on the pavilion system with separate blocks connected by a central linking corridor. A central administrative block contained offices, nurses' rooms, the boardroom and chapel, with kitchens and laundry to the rear. At each side were placed two two-storey ward blocks: one for TB patients, one for children, one for infectious children, and one for casualty cases. In 1913, the hospital was sold to the newly formed City of Westminster Union. In 1920, it was taken over by the Metropolitan Asylums Board as a sanitorium for advanced TB cases. In 1930, control passed to the London County Council then, in 1948, it joined the new National Health Service & renamed Colindale Hospital.

JM writes to Derelict London "I was a patient in Colindale Hospital in my teens. Originally placed in Edgeware General but a whole lot of patients were transferred over to Colindale. i was there for six months being treated for TB. It was in the 1950's and the wards were the typical large affairs with some 30 plus beds and some side rooms or balconies. The organisation was such that it catered for long term treatment. Depending upon level of infection/recovery some patients were 'allowed out' on day or weekend passes."

Built in 1841 as a workhouse. In 1930, the workhouse came under the control of the London County Council, becoming Hackney Hospital. Services at Hackney were transferred to the nearby Homerton Hospital which opened in 1987. The final hospital departments closed in 1995 and the site has been redeveloped into flats retaining some of the original buildings.

Annie writes: "I remember working at Hackney Hospital back in 1978 as a student nurse on the geriatric unit. Back then it was a dreadful place and it looked much as the photos do on your pages, except, of course, the place was full of patients. The geriatric blocks were at the back and incredibly run down. My ward was at the top and had not been updated so was exactly the same as it was when it was a workhouse. In the linen room (where I used to go just for five minutes peace) the old victorian window panes were still in place as proved by the poignant words Jas 1898 which had been etched intothe glass 80 years earlier. To get to the geriatric blocks from the main entrance you had to walk across a wilderness of old derelict buildings and the remains of a fire that had taken place some years before, all overgrown rubble and blackened timbers. It was a hellhole and I'm glad they shut it down. Mind you, the staff canteen had fantastic food!"

Set up in 1845 to care for "all poor Germans and others speaking the German language." under the joint protection of Queen Victoria, Queen Adelaide, The King of Prussia and Prince Albert. The Duke of Cambridge was elected chairmanAt that time there were thought to be over 30,000 Germans living in the UK and all the medical staff and servants were German and was supported by the German Royal Family. The nurses were called "Deaconesses" and provided patients with spiritual as well as medical care. Florence Nightingale visited the hospital on two occasions and was inspired by the nurses’ example to enrol for training in Germany. When it opened, the hospital had just 12 beds, but later expanded to include four wards and a sanatorium for patients "not belonging to the lower classes". The hospital was strongly supported by the local community, until the outbreak of the First World War led to suspicions of spying. The hospital survived, but in World War Two all the staff were moved to an internment camp on the Isle of Man. In 1947 the hospital became part of the NHS, remaining in use until 1987.

Miriam Oreilly writes: "This is the hospital where my great great grandfather died! His name was Davis Levy. He was a Jewish Lithuanian, I presume the German's must have liked the Jews at that stage! He never spoke English so I assume that is why he ended up in a German speaking hospital. He died of some terrible skin infection at the age of 70 in 1908. He was a master furrier and had built up a good business in London. It is quite amazing to see the photos as I live in Ireland and God knows if I will ever get an opportunity to visit."

Notorious smelly East End Hospital during its latter years. St Andrew's Hospital was founded in 1868 as the Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum, under the Metropolitan Poor Act of 1867along architectural lines favoured by Florence Nightingale, and opened in 1873. The Asylum was renamed St Andrew's Hospital in 1921.The hospital grew through 19th century extensions to over 650 beds. A school of nursing was established in 1875 and nurses followed a three year course for a certificate of training and sick cookery. By 1930 an optional maternity training course had been established and the nursing staff had expanded to over 200. The hospital closed in 2006

The 3-hectare site is situated next to Bromley by Bow station, and not far from the 2012 Olympic site. Redevelopment plans incorporate 800-900 new homes, which will see a mixture of small and large family homes,50 per cent of which are anticipated to be set aside for affordable housing. Plans also include a new health centre, open spaces for leisure, and local shops.

"The crumbling South London Women's Hospital will finally be demolished Feb/March 2004 by supermarket giant Tesco.The vacant hospital site in Clapham South has been the subject of bitter legal wrangling after Wandsworth Council brought two judicial reviews against the proposed superstore.It objected to former Secretary of State Stephen Byers's decision to overrule his inspector and grant planning permission,claiming a new store would jeopardise businesses in Balham from low supermarket prices and 156 free car parking spaces. It said Lambeth Council and Mr Byers had ignored planning regulations protecting town centres. The 2,500 sq m Metro store, which will also host a 104-flat complex, is due for completion in 2005." Streatham Guardian 31/1/04

Derek Dow writes to Derelict London: "I'm currently writing an article for my monthly medical history column in New Zealand Doctor on one of the hospital's founders, Dr Eleanor Davies-Colley. She was the first female fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1911), a fact commemorated a couple of years ago when the college began raising 1/4million for a Davies-Colley lecture room - it's ironic therefore that her hospital should be unceremoniously removed. "

In January 1934 my sister Joan was born there. Mother had all her children at home except for this last child. It had been discovered that mother had an abdominal tumour, so she had to have a caesarian section - dangerous in those days. The baby was very tiny and they had no incubators so the nurse placed the baby in one of those wire soap dishes that spread from side to side of a bath. The bath was kept filled with hot water to produce steam and that was the baby's crib for several days. I think this was to maintain her body heat. Mother then had to undergo a second abdominal operation to deal with the tumour. In line with the rules at that time this tiny baby was not allowed to stay in the hospital as my mother was no longer a patient in the obstetrical department, so she was sent home to be looked after by whoever was handy. Luckily my cousin Eva Carey-Hammond was able to stay with us and took good care of her.

Whilst Mother was recovering from the second operation the hospital had some kind of fund raising drive, and produced a little booklet to hand out. Mother was a fine knitter and had made herself a pretty bedjacket and her photograph was on the front of the booklet, showing her sitting up in bed wearing the bedjacket. I wish I could find a copy of the booklet now as it was one of the few photographs taken of my mother and I would love to have a copy.

Later that year or early in the next year I developed rheumatic fever and was sent to the same hospital. They did not seem to have a bed in a children's ward for me and I was put in with the grownups. A long ward with at least ten beds on each side. I hated being there. For one thing they made me stay in a crib with bars which I found an affront. This was probably to make me stay in bed as total bed rest was part of the treatment. In addition they had strange ways of dealing with diseases in those days. The doctor taking care of me thought that diet would be a good cure and I was fed three things ONLY - boiled chicken, boiled fish and boiled potatoes - and I do mean nothing else - three times a day. Since I am a vegetarian I literally lived on boiled potatoes with the occasional mouthful of fish out of desperation when I got hungry enough. Sometimes one of the other patients would sneak me a slice of bread when the nurses were not looking, but they got into trouble when caught. Another part of the treatment was an injection of some kind of new drug whichwas extremely painful. I remember that these two injections were given by a Dr. Pritchard and I always referred to her as Dr. Prickhard as she hurt me so much. Another part of the treatment was the regular administration of enemas.

The doctor told me that as I was growing up I should not try to remember unimportant things as these could be written down for later reference, but I should concentrate on remembering only important things. Otherwise I would use up my brain!! That was almost seventy years ago and I remember this quite clearly. I guess I thought it was an "important thing". I was not allowed visitors as in those days this was thought to upset children. Visiting hours for the grownups were on Sunday afternoons for two hours and again in the evening, plus either Wednesday or Thursday afternoon for a couple of hours. Everyone on the ward had visitors except me which was upsetting.

The grownup patients on the ward were well aware that I was near to starving and fretting away and apparently put their heads together to decide what to do. One of these ladies got me to whisper my address to her husband when he visited and the nurse was not looking.He then went to visit my mother and told her what was going on. He also gave mother his wife's name and said she could use it. In those days one had to give a clerk, sitting at the entrance to the hospital, the name of the person a visitor was going to see, so this patient's name was needed to get on to the ward. Mother was herself unwell at that time and Dad was at work so she sent my two older brothers Ern and Ted to the hospital to check things out for her and they made their plans. Using the other patient's name, they were able to get on the ward, pretending to be her sons. When the nurses tried to stop them from speaking to me they took no notice and grabbing the crib ran with it down the hall trying to get me to the front door where they had a friend waiting to help - they were going to steal me. Some men working for the hospital stopped them doing this and there was quite a scene. The next day my parents came to the hospital and discharged me against medical advice. Once I was at home the family doctor was appalled at my condition. I had been in hospital for several weeks and the enemas combined with the lack of food resulted in my being very weak and as thin as a rake. He called regularly and I was nursed through this illness at home and soon put on weight and got better. It was during this time at home that my Dad taught me to play cribbage, and when I was able to return to school I found I was really good at mental arithmetic as a result.

Another thing I remember about the grown up patients is that a couple of them were anaemic and were also treated with a diet. They were required to eat slices of raw beef liver once or twice a day and were refused other food unless they complied. I remember that one of them put on a blindfold and pinched her nose so that she could not see or smell the liver and could pretend it was something else. I make this place sound awful I suppose, but these people were doing the best they could in the light of their knowledge at that time."

In 1870, a small 26-bed hospital was opened here & known as North-Eastern Hospital and Dispensary.In 1893, a new building fund began, this allowed the Hackney Road site to be expanded and new ward accommodation to be added. 1942, amalgamated with the Princess Elizabeth of York Hospital for Children, Shadwell to become The Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children.In 1948, the hospital became part of the newly created NHS. 1996, the hospital became part of The Royal Hospitals Trust, now Barts and The London NHS Trust. Michael Jackson made a visit in 1992.

This was one of the earliest pavilion-block workhouse designs built in England - built in 1871-2 it was designed to house 820 inmates. In 1896, future star of the silent screen Charles Chaplin (then aged seven) briefly became inmates of the Lambeth workhouse, together with his mother and his younger brother. In 1922, the workhouse and infirmary were amalgamated and renamed Lambeth Hospital. In 1930 its administration was taken over bythe London County Council. Hospital shut about 1976. The infirmary and most of the workhouse have now been demolished, although the water tower survives. Some more more modern buildings at the back remain derelict.

The Children's Hospital Hampstead was founded in 1875 as a voluntary institution, situated in Maida Vale, moved to College Crescent, Hampstead in 1904 .At the outbreak of World War Two the hospital was requisitioned by the War Office. Throughout the war years various plans were proposed for its future use, including a merger with the Hampstead General, but these never materialised. The hospital joined the Royal Free Group when the NHS came into being in 1948, and the building was used firstly as the School of Nursing Preliminary Training School (PTS) and then as a nurses' home from then until its sale in 1990. The trust, closed the dilapidated building because it did not meet fire standards, says it already has too many single rooms and say it would be “uneconomic” to renovate.

The 1962 Hospital Plan for England and Wales proposed that St. Alfege's Hospital, Greenwich should be redeveloped to form a District General Hospital of 800 beds. In 1963, the Minister of Health gave a press conference at which details of the new Greenwich District hospital were released. The main problem was how to fit an 800-bed hospital onto a site of less than 8 acres.

The construction methods would be revolutionary - all lateral engineering services were to be contained in a 6-foot gap between floor and ceiling of each pair of floors so that repairs and maintenance works could be carried out without disturbing ward or department routine. All wards would have natural light but the service departments e.g. x-ray, pathology and operating theatres would be in the centre and artificially lit.The whole hospital was to be ventilated mechanically and none of the windows would open so that the air in the wards would be as ‘pure’ as possible.

Named after its founder,who was one of the first women to qualify in medicine. The hospital started in 1866 as a dispensary and the present building dates from 1889.The foundation stone for the Hospital's new building was laid by the Princess of Wales in 1889. Closed down recently and will be replaced by a £442million new hospital being built down the road.

After the abolition of the Board of Guardians in 1930, the workhouse (now called the was taken over by theCounty Borough of Croydon. It continued to perform the same functions as the workhouse, though with a growing emphasis on the care of the elderly. During the Second World War it was reclassified as a Class 2 Hospital under the Emergency Hospital Scheme, and was severely damaged by bombing in April 1941. It was taken over by the National Health Service in 1948, when it was renamed Queen's Hospital, and became a geriatric hospital. It closed in 1987.

The Middlesex Hospital's history goes back 250 years. The Middlesex Infirmary opened in 1745 with 18 beds to provide medical treatment for the poor. Funding came from subscriptions and in 1747, the hospital became the first in England to add 'lying-in' (inpatient) beds.The foundation stone on the present site was laid in 1755 and in 1757, The Middlesex Hospital opened on its current site. Over the years, extra wings were added but in 1924, it was decided that the building was about to collapse and something had to be done. Huge efforts were put into a "The Middlesex is falling down" campaign to raise the necessary million pounds plus to rebuild the hospital. Finally, without ever having closed its doors, the new Middlesex was opened in 1935 and eventually closed in December 2005.

Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. The buildings origins begin in 1902 when it was a workhouse & infirmiary.Roger Daltrey was born here on March 1st, 1944. It’s right next to Wormwood Scrubs Prison. The demolition of some existing building is to make way for erection of a 6 storey building for use as biomedical research laboratories costing £100 million.

Until the 19th century, standards in private ‘madhouses’ - as they were often called - were very low, and only those able to pay were cared for. Most paupers were accommodated under dismal conditions, and mentally ill people often wandered the streets or at best were cared for by their families. Constructed in Tudor style with subtle angles and variegated brickwork, the asylum was praised in architectural journals at the time, though its gables and twisted chimneys have since been removed as dangerous.

By the 1960s, Springfield had 2,000 beds but with changes in the way in which people’s mental health needs were managed, most of the large old institutions which historically had provided long-term residential care for people with mental health problems had closed. Springfield didn’t close but changed to provide more outpatient facilities and provides only 286 beds on the site. New state of the art buildings have been constructed on the site as some of the old Victorian wards became outdated and have fallen derelict. The hospital hopes to sell these buildings to be converted to apartments to raise money for building more mediacal facilities elsewhere on the site.

The Trust, which runs the hospital, was criticised in an independent report published in 2000 for "serious management and systems failures, after one patient, Anthony Joseph, was set free and went on to kill Jenny Morrison, his social worker.Ms Morrison was not told by hospital authorities that Joseph, a paranoid schizophrenic who believed he was the son of God, had already threatened staff, had a conviction for carrying a knife and had a history of sleeping with a machete under his pillow. Nor was she informed that Joseph claimed to be plagued by "demons" and that he had said she would be "brave" to see him.As a result, she visited him alone in the hostel where he had been living since his release. Within minutes, he had stabbed her more than 100 times. At least four other killings by patients have occured in the last few years.

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