Greenwich District Hospital

The hospital had its origins in St Alfege's Hospital in Greenwich which by the 1960s was in need of replacement.[1] In order to build a hospital with a large enough capacity for the requirements of the local population (up to 800 beds) on a small site (less than 8 acres), a single large building was designed - Pevsner described it as "an unusually large enterprise to be undertaken by the Department of Health and Social Security (chief architect: W. E. Tatton Brown)".[2] The new hospital was fully open by 1972,[1] and it also absorbed services previously provided at the Miller General Hospital in west Greenwich, which finally closed in 1974.[3]

The wards were located around the outside of the building, to receive natural light, while other departments such as operating theatres and laboratories were situated in the centre. The engineering services were contained in gaps between the floor and ceiling of each pair of storeys, so that maintenance work could be carried out without disruption to the running of the clinical areas of the hospital. The interior design was based on large, open areas which maximised the use of the available space, and which could be altered to match changing demands. The entire hospital was ventilated artificially to improve air quality.[4]

The hospital closed in 2001, and its services were moved to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London. Some scenes from the film About A Boy, and the music video for Chain Reaction by the pop group Steps, were filmed in the closed hospital prior to its demolition in 2006.[4]

An adjacent health centre - described by Pevsner as "an ugly A-frame with forceful raking struts" has also since been demolished.[2]

• List of hospitals in England

• Greenwich District Hospital