Wanstead Hospital
Encyclopedia
Wanstead Hospital was a former NHS
hospital situated on Hermon Hill in Snaresbrook
, not far from Wanstead
in north-east London
.
The majority of the listed building was gutted internally and converted into apartments. The hospital's old clock tower is a well-known local landmark and can be seen from some miles away.
The hospital's old chapel lay empty for some years but in 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.
The exterior of the hospital was used for the opening credits of the Doctor in the House
comedy series produced by LWT from 1969, and also played St Swithin's hospital in the series. Some wards were used as sets for scenes in the 1993 film "Young Americans".
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital situated on Hermon Hill in Snaresbrook
Snaresbrook
Snaresbrook is an area of north-east London, mostly in the London Borough of Redbridge. A small part falls within the London Borough of Waltham Forest...
, not far from Wanstead
Wanstead
Wanstead is a suburban area in the London Borough of Redbridge, North-East London. The main road going through Wanstead is the A12. The name is from the Anglo-Saxon words wænn and stede, meaning "settlement on a small hill"....
in north-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
The building was originally built as the Merchant Seamans' Orphan Asylum in 1861. In 1919 it became a convent, and the building was later taken over by Essex county council and converted to use as a hospital, opening in 1938. It remained as a general hospital until its closure in 1986, with almost all patient treatment being transferred to nearby Whipps Cross Hospital.The majority of the listed building was gutted internally and converted into apartments. The hospital's old clock tower is a well-known local landmark and can be seen from some miles away.
The hospital's old chapel lay empty for some years but in 1995 it was purchased by what was then the Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.- Overview :...
Reform Synagogue. The building was refurbished to a high standard and is now the Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue.
The exterior of the hospital was used for the opening credits of the Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House (TV series)
Doctor in the House is the syndicated title given, by the United States, to a British television comedy series , based on a set of books and a movie of the same name by Richard Gordon about the misadventures of a group of medical students — and their later misadventures as doctors.The first...
comedy series produced by LWT from 1969, and also played St Swithin's hospital in the series. Some wards were used as sets for scenes in the 1993 film "Young Americans".