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West Ham Borough Asylum Goodmayes Hospital
Other names/synonyms: Ilford asylum Date founded: 3rd August 1898 Date opened: 6th August 1901
Date closed: Currently in use
Location: Barley Lane, Ilford, Essex.
Architect(s): Lewis Angell FRIBA, Borough Architect
Additions by W. Lionel Jenkins OBE, MA, M Inst, CE, FSI (Borough Engineer) and Harry E. Box ARIBA (Asst. Architect).
Layout: Compact arrow, with later villas.
Date of images: November 2004 Historical and development summary:
West Ham became a county borough in its own right following the Local Government act in 1890 and soon set about providing it's own asylum. Plans were prepared as early as 1894 and a site was chosen at Bluehouse Farm, to the north of Ilford. Lewis Angell, the borough architect laid out the initial development for an asylum for 600 patients to include admin, stores, hall, laundry, works, boiler house, water tower, with male wards to the west and females to the east. A superintendent's house (Tantallon house), isolation hospital, mortuary and chapel for 600 patients were located within the grounds, with a lodge, steward's residence, two detached officer's residences and four pairs of semi detached cottages for married attendants (soon supplemented with a further three pairs) located to the west on Barley Lane. The asylum farm was constructed on farmland south of the main asylum and approached from the chapel via an avenue of trees .
As the West Ham developed, pressure for more space for patients led to a major expansion scheme prepared by the borough engineer W. Lionel Jenkins and his assistant Harry Box between 1925-34. This comprised of a new admission hospital to the south-east (Hunter and Gregory wards), two single storey blocks for semi-infirm patients to the south west (Linden and Lavender wards), five working patients villas (three male; Magnolia, Hawthorn and Acacia, two female; Rosemary and Lilac) forming an arc with two convalescent villas located within the grounds in front (male; Cherry tree, female; somerville) north of the main building. The boiler house and laundry complexes were extended and a new pump house provided to cater for the increased demand. The Superintendant was provided with a new house on Barley Lane, allowing the original to be used for patients. Little heath house, located to the north of the site was later purchased as a annexe, but was separated from the main hospital when Eastern avenue (A12) was constructed between them.
Under the National Health Service the hospital became known as Goodmayes, with the catchment area eventually being altered to accomodate more of the surrounding area and linking services to Warley hospital. The area laundry services were also centralised at the site and extended during the 1980's with a new main stores developed north of the boiler house. Plans to relocate the King George's general hospital from Newbury Park led to the redevelopment of the area north of the main building and the new hospital opened in 1993. Expansions to this, combined the development of replacement mental health facilities have also led to redevelopment to the east and south east of the site. Current status:
The hospital is currently still in use with the main asylum building and Tantallon house (original Superintendent's residence) currently in use for mental health services. The hospital laundry, estates department, water tower and boiler house currently provide for both Goodmayes and King George's Hospital sites. Plans for both these areas appear to include retention of the administration building, recreation hall, male and female sick & infirm and acute wards in NHS use and a new boiler house and laundry complex. The other male wards and srvice buildings will be replaced by new units. Meadow Court nursing home has replaced the female chronic and epileptic blocks and the villas to the north, isolation hospital and mortuary have been demolished in connection with the King George's development although one airing court shelter has been restored and retained in the car park. The former admission hospital has been replaced by Chapters house psychiatric unit, the semi-infirm wards are currently disused and the chapel no longer exists, with it's site now a grassed car park. The farm has also been demolished for a new unit. Staff housing, new superintendent's residence and lodge cottage still exist although the latter two are currently disused and plans are in place for sale of all the properties.
Sources and related links
North-East London mental health trust (NELMHT)
Records located at:
London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road
London
EC1R 0HB
England
Tel: 020 7332 3820
Fax: 020 7833 9136
Email: ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk Newham Archives and Local Studies Library
Stratford Library,
3 The Grove,
London
E15 1EL
Tel: 020 8430 6881
Email: richard.durack@newham.gov.uk
Links to Aerial Photographs
Links to Archive Images
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Main entrance gate on Barley lane
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Lodge cottage
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Original Superintendent's residence -Tantallon House
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Administration block
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Crest of the Borough of West Ham |
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