The College was founded in 1966 from the amalgamation of other educational institutions, including a branch institute of Battersea Polytechnic established in Tooting during 1901. The College specialised in degrees and diplomas in Accountancy, Business and Management Studies. In 1967 a Higher National Certificate and the first full time course, specifically designed for the resettlement of members of the armed services, was introduced in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence. The growth of the College saw work spread to a number of annexes, including a Congregational church in Rookstone Road, Wandsworth, a floor of Smallwood Road School, Garrett Lane, and a further school at 10 Wiseton Road. In 1979 the former site of Battersea Grammar School was secured near Tooting Broadway. The College was designated a Higher Education Centre under the Education Reform Act 1988 and by 1991 offered a range of sub-degree level work and good quality post experience courses in Management. With ongoing accommodation problems and a damning report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate on some of its provision the College's Board of Governors chose in 1990 to amalgamate with Thames Polytechnic. However in November the Secretary of State announced his intention to dissolve the College under the 1988 Education Reform Act and allowing higher education students to choose where they wished to complete their studies. Over 1000 students chose to transfer to South Bank Polytechnic and most of the College's staff followed suit, helping to form the Faculty of Management and Policy Studies. The extra staff were housed in Diary House on Borough Road.
The London County Council School of Building was opened on 26th February 1904 with Mr H W Richards as Principal to provide a specialist training college for the large number of building workers in Camberwell and Lambeth. The Lambeth Polytechnic building in Ferndale Road, Brixton was renovated to contain workshops for painting and decorating, carpentry and joinery and a drawing office. When it first opened, 643 students enrolled on classes covering stone carving, plasterers' modelling, drawing, chemistry and physics of building materials, land surveying and levelling. The School soon gained a world-wide reputation as a centre of excellence in the fields of town planning, building technology, estate management and building architecture.
In 1906 a school of architecture was added which was organised by Professor Beresford Pite of the Royal Academy of Art. Demand for courses increased rapidly so that in 1908 the School added a Junior Day Technical College for Boys and then a Senior Day Technical School as well as a new extension in 1909. In 1910 five-year courses were introduced in all trade subjects, followed in 1911 by a four year course in reinforced concrete and in 1912 a course in structural engineering all examined by the City and Guilds of London Institute. In 1921 Mr A R Sage became Principal (the Sage Medallion was in the possession of the former Vauxhall College). In 1922, Sir Robert Blair (LCC Education Officer) wrote, 'the Brixton School is easily the first and most complete school of building in the world'. In 1927 until 1943 Mr F E Drury became Principal. The Board of Education classified the School as a College of Further Education in 1928 and the following year a three year day course was introduced leading to the Ordinary and Higher National Diploma in Building or the Intermediate Examination of the Royal Institute of British Architects or the Chartered Surveyors Institute.
In 1943 it became the Brixton School of Building, in March 1945 Mr D A G Reid CBE became Principal and after the Second World War the School rapidly expanded so that by 1949 the number of full time students exceeded 400, studying courses in architecture, surveying and structural engineering. In 1956 Brixton was designated a regional college, and the governors decided not to concentrate on work at higher levels, but to retain its craft work and lower level teaching. Under the government's policy for higher education, given in the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, the higher level studies at Brixton would have to be continued within a new institution based on the polytechnic model. Brixton School of Building became part of the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970, along with the Borough Polytechnic, City of Westminster College and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering. The last Principal wrote, '1970 marked the end of the beginning; the School of Building had faithfully served many days and generations of students but to the work it was doing there is no end'.
Five of the six departments from Brixton became the new Polytechnic's Faculty of Construction, Technology and Design. The sixth department, along with some work from other departments formed the Vauxhall College of Further Education. The Faculty moved into the new purpose-designed Wandsworth Road building, on the Wandsworth Road, during the summer of 1973, a decade after the first draft schedule of accommodation was made. The building was officially opened on 17 April 1975 by Anthony Crosland MP. The Faculty became the largest and most comprehensive Built Environment faculty in Europe covering subjects such as Property Development, Waste Management and Architecture. In the summer of 2003 the Wandsworth Road building was sold by London South Bank University and students and staff transferred back to the University's main Southwark campus to form the Faculty of Engineering, Science and the Built Environment.
City of Westminster College has its origins in an evening institute established in the First World War providing lip-reading classes for deafened servicemen in the vestry of St George's Church in Hanover Square, Westminster. The institute, which became known as St George's Institute, only ran evening classes and moved to a number of different sites, successively St George's Row School, Ebury Bridge and Dean Farrar Street. A further move was made to the Burdett Cookery School, with some classes held in the Townsend Foundation School, Rochester Row. The institute grew rapidly during the 1930s, becoming one of the largest commercial institutes in London, with classrooms and chemistry laboratories in Westminster City College. In 1936 an arrangement with Westminster Training College was made enabling the institute to provide more student hours than any comparable institute in London and replacing the link with Westminster City College. The institute moved again to the Millbank School, Erasmus Street.
In 1939 two social studies courses were introduced, whilst languages and commercial, administrative and social studies were all well established.The Waterloo Road School site was taken over by the institute in 1951, shared with the Law Department of Kennington College. By 1959 there were 41 full-time staff, more part-time lecturers and over 30 rooms used. Full-time courses were offered in 1959 in the institute's three departments of Civil Service, Commerce and University Entrance, with part-time and evening work. In 1954 the institute moved to Francis House, renting space from the Army and Navy Stores. Further space was rented from them in 1955, enabling matriculation work to be transferred from Regent Street Polytechnic. New departments of Science, Social Studies and Day Release work were created. Awards and courses were rationalised following the 1959 McMeeking report 'Further Education in Commerce', with the introduction of national certificates in business studies, and establishment of new departments of Economics and Arts and Science and Maths. By 1962 there were over 6000 students associated with the institute. In 1965 the work of the Arts Department was transferred to the West London College of Commerce.
In 1959 the institute was renamed City of Westminster College. In the early 1960s the first courses in Hospital Administration were organised, and part of the college moved in 1966 to Blackfriars Road where housing laboratories and the Social Studies Department were accommodated (later to become part of Southwark College). In the mid 1960s new departments of Professional Studies, later renamed Accountancy and Finance, and Business Studies were established. The publication of the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, had announced the creation of some 30 polytechnics throughout the country to form what became called the public sector of the binary system of higher education. The 13 existing colleges managed by ILEA were to be reorganised into five. City of Westminster College joined with Borough Polytechnic, the Brixton School of Building, and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970.
The premises were used by the new Polytechnic for a short time after the merger to house the Department of Accountacy and Finance, the Department of Business Studies, the Department of Languages and the Department of Management and Administration.
Rachel McMillan was born in New York in 1859, the daughter of Scottish immigrants. On visiting Edinburgh at the age of 28, Rachel was influenced by Socialism and the following year moved to London to be near Margaret, her governess sister and also attend socialist meetings, write articles, and give free evening lessons to working class girls. The sisters moved to Bradford and joined the Fabian Society, Social Democratic Federation, and Labour Party. In 1892 Margaret with Dr James Kerr published a report on the health of elementary children in Britain and began campaigning for improvements. Rachel returned to London and was active in the Labour Party movement. In 1906 the sisters campaigned for, and had passed, the Provision of School Meals Act. In 1908 they opened the country's first school clinic in Bow and another in 1910 in Deptford as well as a Night Camp for children. In 1914 they started an open-air nursery & nursery staff training centre in Peckham which was accorded recognition by the Board of Education in 1919.Rachel McMillan died in March 1917 and the re-named Rachel McMillan College moved premises to Creek Road, Deptford in 1930. The new buildings housed students studying on three-year full-time courses leading to a Froebel Certificate. In 1961, at the invitation of the governors, the College was taken over by the London County Council (LCC). The LCC created an annexe of the College on the New Kent Road, which provided accommodation for part-time students studying nursery, infant and junior teaching courses leading to a London University Certificate in Education after a four-year part-time course. The New Kent Road annexe merged with South Bank Polytechnic in 1976 to become part of the Faculty of Education, Human & Social Studies. The rest of Rachel McMillan College merged with Goldsmith's College in 1977. In 1989 students and staff were relocated to the Polytechnic's main site.
Battersea College of Education began life in 1894 as the Battersea Training School of Domestic Economy which formed part of the Women's Studies' Department of Battersea Polytechnic Institute. Eleven full time students started their course in 1894 after a special grant had been given to Battersea Polytechnic by the London County Council to open a teacher training school in domestic economy and in 1895 Battersea was officially recognised as a teachers' training school by the Board of Education. New accommodation was opened in 1903 and in January 1911 the first hall of residence was opened, with further halls provided in 1914.
On 1st August 1948 the LCC took over management of the Department from Battersea Polytechnic and re-designated it Battersea College of Domestic Science. In 1949 the Department moved from the Polytechnic to the Manor House on Clapham Common Northside. A programme of building was undertaken, including a new science block which opened in 1954, and further buildings opening in 1960 and 1968. The College acquired a new site, Manresa House in Roehampton, in September 1962, which became the Battersea Training College for Primary Teachers, providing day courses for men and women, which first began on 30th April 1963.
On 1st April 1965 responsibility for the college was transferred from the LCC to the newly established Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) and became known as the Battersea College of Education. The College became a constituent college of the University of London Institute of Education, with courses leading to a Teachers' Certificate with special reference to domestic subjects and Department of Education and Science recognition of Qualified Teacher Status.
Following the Government's White Paper "A Framework for Expansion" in 1973, the College merged with the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1976. Manresa House was closed in 1979, and primary education students were transferred to Rachel McMillan College, an annexe of which would also come to merge with the Polytechnic. Home Economics students remained at Manor House until the early 1980s when students were transferred to the Polytechnic's Southwark campus.
In December 1945 the Education Board for the Heating and Ventilating Industry set up a committee to look into the possibility of establishing a National School for the Heating and Ventilating Industries. This was in response to the Percy Report which recommended that National Schools associated with certain industries should be established. In 1946, with the agreement of the National Association of Heating, Ventilating and Domestic Engineering Employers, discussions were opened with the Ministry of Education on the establishment of a National School. These proposals were well received and in January 1947 a memorandum, drawn up by the Ministry on National Colleges, and financial arrangements were discussed by the Ministry and the Board. It was agreed that Industry should pay £50 per student per session with a guaranteed minimum of £1000 per year. The National Association also agreed to this and in April 1947 it was decided that a National College for Heating and Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering be formed within the Borough Polytechnic. The agreement of the London County Council was secured in November 1947 and the first meeting of the Board of Governors of the newly established National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering was held on 20 January 1948 at the Borough Polytechnic.The first Chair of Governors was Hubert Secretan and there were representatives from the three industries on the Board of Governors. There were high hopes for the new College and the third annual report of the Education Board for the Heating and Ventilating Industry hoped 'it will be the centre for the highest grade of technological training for the industry and will be in close contact with the most up-to-date development and research' (NC/7/2/3). The College existed to meet the needs of the industries and had two principal aims: to provide a high standard of technological training and to undertake research.In its first session, commencing in September 1948, the College offered full-time Diploma courses in the three industries: Heating and Ventilating Engineering, Refrigeration Engineering and Fan Engineering. The College also offered part-time day or evening refresher courses for those employed in industry. Courses led to diplomas after full-time study for two terms, and later one year, or an Associateship of the National College with post graduate or post HND entry.The College was, from its inception, closely linked with the Borough Polytechnic. Its premises were located within the grounds of the Borough Polytechnic Annexe and the College used the facilities of the Polytechnic for teaching ancillary subjects. Before the National College was established the Polytechnic had become the principal college in heating and ventilating engineering in London. A lecturer in heating and ventilating engineering had been appointed in 1917 for evening courses and after World War 1 part-time day classes were introduced. At first, the college was heavily dependent on service teaching from other departments of Borough Polytechnic, especially mechanical engineering, mathematics and humanities, but began to widen its work by undertaking research.The College was given a logo of a shield divided into four, representing the three industries and the Borough Polytechnic. It also had a motto, 'e tribus unum', meaning 'one from three'.In the 1950s the accommodation within the Borough Polytechnic was too small to allow the continued expansion of student numbers and to undertake research. The Ministry of Education agreed to cover the costs of the building and industry donated money to purchase new equipment. The new building on Southwark Bridge Road (now the Faraday Wing) was opened to students in September 1960.By the 1960s government policy had moved away from National Colleges which taught a limited syllabus. The Ministry of Education preferred Technical Education Institutions to provide a broader education than covered by the National Colleges and in 1964 it began discussions with the National College on its future. Due to a Government White Paper of 1966 entitled 'A Plan for Polytechnics' it was proposed that a new Polytechnic should be established by merging the Borough Polytechnic with the National College, Brixton School of Building and City of Westminster College.In September 1970 these four colleges merged to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank. In effect, the National College became the Polytechnic's Faculty of Environmental Science and Technology.
London South Bank University was established as the Borough Polytechnic Institute in 1892. In 1883 a local solicitor, Edric Bayley, heard that the government's Charity Commissioners had been given powers to redistribute redundant money from City of London parishes to improve the physical and moral condition of poor Londoners. This led him to set up the South London Polytechnic Institutes Council in 1887, whose members included the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Mayor of London. With Evan Spicer as its Chairman and the Prince of Wales as its President, the Council on the 16th January 1888 petitioned the Charity Commissioners for money. The petition was successful and the Charity Commissioners pledged funds to match any money up to £150,000 raised by the public to establish three polytechnics in South London. As a result a committee of the Council, the South London Polytechnic Institutes Committee, was appointed to raise the funds, select sites and make plans for the three polytechnics, chosen to be located at Elephant and Castle, New Cross and Battersea. After a public appeal by the Committee at Mansion House in June 1888, £78,000 was raised in four years to set up the Battersea and Borough Polytechnics. Also by 1892 the Borough Polytechnic's Governing Body had been set up and the British & Foreign Schools Society's, Borough Road Training College had been bought to house the Polytechnic.
The stated aims of the Charity Commissioners' Scheme for the Borough Polytechnic were 'the promotion of the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and wellbeing of young men and women belonging to the poorer classes' (LSBU/1/9/3). It was officially opened on 30 September 1892 by Lord Rosebery the Foreign Secretary. The first Chair of the Board of Governors was Edric Bayley, the first principal was Charles Millis and the Secretary and Clerk to the Board of Governors was William Richardson. From 1893 the Polytechnic received grants from the Technical Education Board (TEB) of the London County Council. And the London Polytechnic Council (LPC) was established to inspect and co-ordinate the work of the polytechnics. Both the TEB and the LPC were abolished following the London Education Act in 1904, when the London County Council took over responsibility for education in London.
From its inception, the Polytechnic focused on teaching skills relevant to industry and the workplace. The first 'Technical and Trade' classes were offered to apprentices or tradesmen and included woodcarving, boot and shoe manufacture, typography, oils and colours and varnishes. Women could attend classes in laundry, needlework and dressmaking. Science classes comprised chemistry, building construction and drawing, machine construction and drawing and hygiene and music courses, art and design, commercial classes and elocution were also offered in the early years, though most emphasis was placed on the trade classes. Bakery classes began in 1894 and by 1898 comprised the largest group of students at the Polytechnic. In 1899 the National School of Bakery and Confectionery (now the National Bakery School) was opened. In 1898 the Polytechnic introduced its own diplomas, though in 1921 the Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) and Higher National Certificate (HNC) were introduced.
From 1894 the Polytechnic established three Junior Technical Schools, partly in order to justify the employment of full-time staff: many rooms were unoccupied during the day as much of the teaching and activities took place in the evenings. The junior school also had the advantage of producing students able to take up the polytechnic's adult courses. The first school was the Domestic Economy School for Girls in 1894, followed by the Technical Day School for Boys in 1897 and the Day Trade School of Waistcoat-making for Girls in 1904. The schools, for boys and girls aged 12 years and above, taught practical skills for the home and the future workplace.
The governors of the Polytechnic sought to integrate their work with that of neighbouring institutions, in particular Herold's Institute, the London Technical School of Leather Manufacture and the Norwood Technical Institute. In 1907 some work was transferred to Morley College in an attempt to rationalise technical education in London, and a Joint Committee established (see LSBU/3/10/5). In 1917 commercial classes and some language work also transferred to Morley.
During the 1920s diplomas and certificate work for structured courses were introduced, pioneered by the Borough Polytechnic and soon after introduced at other polytechnics as part of a national system. Courses evolved over time and were continually adapted to the vocational needs of students. Single courses were divided into elementary and advanced parts, preliminary and ancillary courses were added, such as mathematics or basic science, and gradually the course grew until it became suitable for examination under the National Certificate or some other scheme. This led to a considerable amount of specialisation in course content and level.
During the Second World War, the polytechnic was bombed with more than 13,000 square feet of the buildings destroyed or made unsafe. New courses were introduced during the war, notably accelerated Higher National Certificate engineering courses under the Hankey scheme by Lord Hankey, Chairman of the War Cabinet's Scientific and Engineering Advisory Committee, and two-year engineering courses were developed for the army. At the end of the war degree courses in Pure Science and Engineering were introduced, which the polytechnic decided to concentrate on. Some courses were discontinued, such as welding, metal plate work and paper technology. Scientists were recruited from the services and war industries and accommodation and equipment required for degree standard work was developed. Due to the 1944 Education Act the junior schools were separated from the Polytechnic after the war. Degree courses were offered in the late 1940s and in 1955 the National Council for Technological Awards (NCTA) began awarding Diplomas of Technology and Technology Engineering. The diploma was the first major award of first degree standing for technical colleges and was quickly adopted by the Polytechnic's different departments. Further education and training was reorganised following the White Paper on Technical Education in 1956. The variety of levels of work at the Polytechnic meant that it was designated a regional college rather than a college of advanced technology, after which the governors decided to reduce the proportion of lower level work. The NCTA was replaced in 1964 by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) and the South Bank Academic Board established. There was a large increase in full-time and sandwich courses in diploma, CNAA and external degree courses.
The publication of the White Paper 'A Plan for Polytechnics and Other Colleges', published in 1966, had announced the creation of some 30 polytechnics throughout the country to form what became called the public sector of the binary system of higher education. The 13 existing colleges managed by the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) were to be reorganised into five. The Borough Polytechnic Institute, the Brixton School of Building, City of Westminster College and the National College for Heating, Ventilating, Refrigeration and Fan Engineering joined together to become the Polytechnic of the South Bank in 1970.
First degree courses were the mainstay of the new polytechnic's activities, and by the mid-1970s departments were offering full-time or sandwich courses and part-time courses in each major discipline. There was a rise in full-time and sandwich education leading to diplomas, CNAA and external degree awards. CNAA honours degrees in several subjects replaced London external degrees and CNAA ordinary degree, and new awards were introduced. The polytechnic expanded its range of courses into new areas of work, including sociology, town planning, management, education and law, in an environment where science and engineering had been dominant. Courses such as dental technology and building crafts were also transferred in order to rationalise work at the Polytechnic. Engineering and science courses continued to be central, with electrical and mechanical engineering and chemical engineering particularly growing in importance. Postgraduate work increased during the 1970s and 1980s, with 16% of students studying on postgraduate courses by 1990. In 1976 Battersea College of Education was incorporated into the Polytechnic, as were the parts of the Rachel McMillan College of Education that provided courses at the New Kent Road annexe. During the 1980s the Polytechnic pioneered the provision of access courses, including one in legal studies, for part-time and mature students. A new Department of Hospitality, Food and Product Management provided a new range of courses, including hotel management and in 1988 the Polytechnic was accredited for first degrees by CNAA. In 1991 students from South West London College transferred to South Bank on the dissolution of the College, and the Central Catering College was also incorporated into the Polytechnic.
In 1987 the Polytechnic became known as South Bank Polytechnic, and as result of the 1988 Education Reform Act was awarded corporate status and became independent of local authority control. Funding of polytechnics was given over to a new body, the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC), which was itself replaced in 1992 when the Higher and Further Education Act created a single Higher Education Funding Council, removing any remaining distinctions between polytechnics and universities. As a consequence South Bank Polytechnic became South Bank University on 18 June 1992 with the power to award its own degrees.
South Bank University consolidated and developed course specialities in computing, engineering, applied science; architecture, construction and estate management, business studies, management, languages and law, social sciences, arts, media studies and a new programme of Combined Honours degree subjects. In 1995 Redwood College of Health Studies and Charles West School of Nursing were incorporated into the University, bringing a number of health courses including nursing and allied health professions.
In 2003 the University underwent another name change to London South Bank University and teaching was split into four faculties: Arts and Human Sciences (AHS), Business, Computing & Information Management (BCIM) (from 2009 Business), Engineering, Science & the Built Environment (ESBE) and Health and Social Care (HSC).
Minimum Core was introduced in the 2000s and set out the knowledge and skills required by teachers in literacy, language, numeracy and ICT to fulfill their role.
From Lost Hospitals of London https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/wanstead.html The Essex County Hospital opened in 1938 in a building originally erected in 1861 as the Merchant Seamen's Orphan Asylum. (Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, had laid the foundation stone.) In 1921 the orphans moved to Bearwood House in Wokingham and the Asylum building was bought by the Convent of the Good Shepherd as a refuge for women and girls. In 1937 Essex County Council bought the building and converted it into a hospital. The Hospital joined the NHS in 1948 as a general hospital with 202 beds. It had suffered considerable damage during the war and a proposal was made to develop a larger hospital on the 7 acre site. However, these plans came to naught. The war damage was repaired and by 1961 the Hospital had 195 beds. The maternity service was withdrawn in 1975 and the Hospital finally closed in 1986 with 188 beds. Services were transferred to Whipps Cross Hospital.
The hospital was part of the Forest Group School of Nursing, centred on Whipps Cross Hospital, training nurses for both the Register and the Roll.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/whippscross.html In 1889 the West Ham Guardians bought Forest House and its estate of 44 acres of grounds as a site for a future infirmary, for which pla ing approval was granted in 1894. The old mansion house was then used from that year as an a exe to the West Ham Union workhouse in Leyton to accommodate elderly infirm men. Building work on the new infirmary began in 1900 and was completed three years later, having cost over £186,000. The West Ham Union Infirmary opened in 1903. It comprised a central administration building with ward blocks on either side.nAlthough originally there had been no operating theatre, this was soon added, although it was known as the 'operating room' as the word 'theatre' was considered to be too alarming to the patients. By 1912 some 350 operations a year were being performed. During WW1, in 1917 part of the Infirmary became the Whipps Cross War Hospital. It was affiliated to the Colchester Military Hospital and 240 beds were given over for wounded and sick servicemen. King George V and Queen Mary visited in November 1917, commenting on the magnificence of the buildings. The Queen presented medals and certificates to the nurses who has passed their Final examinations that years. By the end of the war in 1918 the Infirmary had become a general hospital. Its name was changed to Whipps Cross Hospital. During the 1920s the first specialist consultants were appointed to the medical staff. They established departments in dermatology, ophthalmology, genitourinary surgery and ear, nose and throat conditions. In 1926 the Board of Guardians who managed the Hospital were dismissed by Neville Chamberlain, the Minister of Health, as they had run up a debt of £250,000. In 1930 the Boards of Guardians were abolished and control of the Hospital was taken over by West Ham Borough Council. The Council added new ward blocks and, by 1936, the Hospital had 741 beds and had been recognised as a training school for nurses. During the years 1938-1940 four new blocks were built at the eastern end of the original buildings. During WW2 the Hospital joined the Emergency Medical Service, with 388 of its 744 beds reserved for civilian air-raid casualties. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS under the control of the Leytonstone Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. It had 1,044 beds, of which 846 were open. In 1951 the Wilfred Lawson Temperance Hotel in Woodford Green was purchased by the Regional Hospital Board as additional accommodation for 50 nurses. The Hospital Management Committee decided to use the premises also as a Preliminary Training School for student nurses; this opened on a temporary basis in October 1951. The nurses' badges bore the Hospital's motto: Semper ad coelum (always aim high). In 1963, when the Hospital had 978 beds, it transferred to the control of the Forest Group Hospital Management Committee. In 1965 a Medical Education Centre opened. It was one of the first in England. An Intensive Care Unit opened in 1968, as did a Hyperbaric Unit. In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the West Roding District Health Authority, part of the Redbridge and Waltham Forest Area Health Authority of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority. It had 862 beds. The Medical Education Centre was extended the same year. In 1982, after another major reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital came under the administration of the Waltham Forest District Health Authority. In 1987 the Margaret Centre opened to provide palliative care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. In 1992, following the introduction of more reforms of the NHS, the Hospital became a trust - the Forest Healthcare NHS Trust. By 1997 the Hospital was in deep financial crisis, with a deficit of £4m. The long waits in the Accident & Emergency Department for patients on trolleys, cancelled operations and neglect of elderly patients on wards placed it as the second worst in the whole country for complaints (it is not stated which was the first). In 2001 the Forest Healthcare NHS Trust was dissolved and the Hospital came under the management of the Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust. The Hospital celebrated its centenary in 2003. A new Emergency Medical Centre was opened. Work began in 2011 at the northern part of the site for a new £23m Emergency and Urgent Care Centre, which opened in May 2012. The building incorporates the former Accident and Emergency Department and the Walk-In Centre. Because of the continuing financial problems and uncertainties over its future, a scheme for redevelopment of the site intended to begin in 2012 was abandoned. Instead, early in 2011, the Trust negotiated with the Barts and the London NHS Trust and the Newham University Hospital NHS Trust to create a new trust. The mergers were successful and the Barts Health NHS Trust came into being on 1st April 2012, the largest NHS Trust in the country. €¨Newham Archives, Stratford Reference Library, holds administrative records from 1900-1957, ephemera from 1917-1957 and pictoral records from 1900-1939. Waltham Forest Archives holds administrative records from 1875-1975, including staff records from 1932.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/chingford.html By 1893 the population of Walthamstow had greatly increased and, when Plaistow and Highgate Hospitals refused to take any more smallpox patients from the area, the need for a municipal isolation hospital became urgent. For this purpose Larkswood Lodge, with 20 acres, off Hale End Road (later renamed Larkshall Road) was bought by the Walthamstow Urban District Council for £2623. The Walthamstow Sanatorium (or Isolation Hospital) opened in 1901, having cost £33,364 to build. The opening ceremony was held in one of the wards and a 'goodly number' turned up for it, creating a crowd problem. The ground floor of the two-storey administration block contained offices, a sitting room and bedroom for the doctor, sitting rooms for Matron and the nurses, as well as dining rooms for the nurses and the servants. The kitchen, scullery, pantries and storerooms were also on this floor. On the first floor, as well as bathrooms, were bedrooms for Matron, 18 nurses and the servants. Gas was used for cooking and heating; indeed, the Hospital made its own gas (the cost of this was 2d (0.8p) per 1000 cubic ft compared with 7d (3p) for coal gas. The ward accommodation consisted of three pavilions containing 14 beds each, as well as a nurse's room with kitchen and bathroom. There was also a small 4-bedded observation ward. A mortuary was discreetly hidden behind trees at the rear of the site. The engine-house contained two 28 BHP gas engines of the Westinghouse type, which generated electricity for lighting and driving the laundry machines. Patients arrived by horse-drawn ambulances and were admitted to the observation ward for assessment before being transferred to one of the main wards. In 1904 an agreement was reached to admit diphtheria patients from Chingford. The Hospital was enlarged in 1905, with additional bedroom and sitting room accommodation for six nurses and five maids in the administration block. A bacteriological laboratory and office were also built, as well as a 2-storey block for 24 convalescent patients, with a day room on the first floor. By this time the Hospital had 72 beds. A pavilion for patients with tuberculosis (TB) opened in 1914. The new building was divided into six compartments, with two beds in each. At the west end there was a room for two acute patients, with bedrooms for the nurse and ward maid and, at the east end, a small kitchen and dining room. In 1938 the Leyton Council bought a half-share in the Hospital and it became known as the Leyton and Walthamstow Joint Hospital. At the begi ing of WW2 a First Aid post with a Gas Cleansing Section was established at the Hospital. In 1940 and 1941 the Hospital was bombed, but little damage occurred. In 1946 it was renamed the Walthamstow Infectious Diseases Hospital and Sanatorium. In 1948 it joined the NHS, when it had 100 beds for patients with infectious diseases and 18 beds for those with TB. In the following year the war damage was repaired. By 1953 the Hospital had ceased to deal solely with infectious diseases, becoming a general hospital providing postoperative (no surgery was performed here), medical and orthopaedic treatment. It was renamed Chingford Hospital. In 1956 a new Out-Patients Department opened, at the cost of £24,000. Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Departments were added in 1958. By 1970 Chingford Hospital had become a busy acute general hospital with 100 beds. The closure of Co aught Hospital in 1977 was expected to affect the role of Chingford Hospital, making funds available for improvements and expansion. Plans were made to sell off five acres of land, while retaining the rest for a possible Health Centre. In 1978 the former TB ward was converted to a medical ward for female patients and renamed Larkshall Ward. Throughout the 1980s there was much debate about the future of the Hospital, as to whether it should become a community hospital for the care and rehabilitation of local people (so there would be no need for the elderly to go to Langthorne Hospital), and a Health Clinic with family pla ing, a baby clinic, chiropody and occupational therapy. The terminally ill would be sent to Whipps Cross Hospital. At this time the Hospital had 58 beds for geriatric patients and 15 beds for younger disabled people. The in-patients side closed in 1991 but the Out-Patients Department continued until 1996, when the Hospital finally closed.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/woodfordjubilee.html The Hospital, financed by Sir John Roberts, Bt, was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It opened in 1899 with 12 beds. The patients were looked after by their GPs. In 1911 it was extended to 54 beds, the money being raised by public subscription. In 1937 a new X-ray room and apparatus were installed. The women's ward was extended, with an additional 6 beds. The work cost £3,877. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS under the control of the Forest Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, it came under the administration of the West Roding District Health Authority, part of the North East Thames Regional Health Board. Following another major reorganisation of the NHS in 1982, it transferred to the control of the Waltham Forest District Health Authority. The Hospital closed in 1986 under the orders of the then Health Minister, Ke eth Clarke, because it was considered too small, with only 47 beds.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/newhammaternity.html The origins of this Hospital lie in the Forest Gate Industrial School, which was built in 1854 on a 12 acre site once owned by Samuel Gurney (1785-1956), a well known Quaker philanthropist. In 1890 a tragic fire resulted in the deaths of 26 boys, who suffocated because they were locked in their dormitories. (This disaster led to institutions developing 'scattered homes' rather than barrack-style schools.) Poplar Union continued to use the building as a training school until 1906. It then closed temporarily, opening again in 1908 as a branch of the Poplar Union workhouse. In 1911 the building was bought by West Ham Union workhouse. It re-opened in 1913 as the Forest Gate Sick Home, with 500 beds. There were 21 beds for mentally handicapped adults and 25 for mentally handicapped children, including epileptics. In 1930 the West Ham Borough Council took over its administration. The main buildings became the Forest Gate Hospital, with 500 beds for mental patients and the chronic sick, and 64 beds in the maternity unit. A temporary building with 200 beds for the chronic sick was added in 1931. By 1937 the Hospital had 723 patients. During WW2 the Hospital suffered damage in 1940 from two direct hits, one a high explosive bomb. Much of the accommodation for non-maternity patients was destroyed, and the patients were evacuated to the South Ockendon Colony (a mental hospital in Essex which had opened in 1932). The number of beds was reduced to 201. After the war, accommodation for 128 patients re-opened in 1945, and the building of a new maternity unit commenced in 1947. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS, when it had 207 beds. Further maternity wards were built in 1950. In 1974 it was renamed the Newham Maternity Hospital, by which time bed numbers had reduced to 116. By 1983 there were 106 beds. The Hospital closed in 1985 when the newly built Newham General Hospital opened.n
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/barking.html In the early 1890s Barking Urban District Council built an infectious diseases hospital on Upney Lane, to the west of Rookery Hall. The Upney Isolation Hospital opened in 1893, dealing with those suffering from scarlet fever, diphtheria and other infectious diseases (but not smallpox). In July and August 1896 some 13 patients were admitted to the Hospital following an outbreak of typhoid fever which affected 23 people in the region. In the early part of the 20th century the Council acquired more land nearby and the Hospital was extended, with the addition of a new ward block at the southwest part of the site. By the mid 1930s Barking Corporation had acquired the rest of the land bordering Upney Lane to Upney station, and a new isolation hospital was built on Upney Meadow to the south of the original building, parallel to the railway line. In 1936, a maternity pavilion was built on the site of the original isolation hospital in response to the need for more maternity beds (the nearby Becontree Estate had a birthrate which was double the national average). The Hospital now comprised two parts on the 18 acre site - at the southern part was the Upney (Isolation) Hospital with 108 beds and, at the northern, the Upney (Maternity) Hospital with 22 beds. In 1938 an ENT Department was established, dealing mainly with the removal of tonsils and adenoids. During WW2 the Upney (Maternity) Hospital became a principal casualty hospital for the Emergency Medical Service. It had 24 beds. Both Hospitals joined the NHS in 1948 as a maternity hospital under the name of Barking Hospital, under the control of the Ilford and Barking Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. The Hospital had 108 beds, which had been reduced to 74 by 1951. By 1954 the Hospital had 76 beds - 54 for maternity patients and 22 for chronically sick elderly females - in the former isolation section at the south, whilst the northern building became the Out-Patients Department, also housing the Borough Chest Clinic and Physiotherapy Department. At the end of the 1950s, because of the shortage of beds, the Hospital Management Committee decided it should become a general hospital for the group. The site was to be redeveloped, as the scattered bungalow buildings used for fever patients were no longer suitable as ward accommodation. The work was to commence in 1963 and be completed by 1967. In the meantime upgrading works were carried out on the existing facilities. In January 1958 the lighting on the labour ward was improved with the installation of mobile operating lamps. The operating theatre was modernised and re-equipped for £5,000. The 4-bedded wards in both maternity units were cubicled and curtained. Glass partitioning for weather protection was erected on the verandah of Sydenham Ward (the antenatal and gynaecological ward), which had the only verandah that had remained open to all the elements. All the woollen blankets on the wards were replaced by cellular cotton blankets (which were boilable). In 1958 work began to convert Ross Ward into an up-to-date surgical ward with 16 beds, at a cost of £9,000. Je er Ward, the medical ward, was to be modernised and become a geriatric ward. The mortuary remained a problem. Post-mortems were carried out in the same room where corpses rested; relatives were only allowed to see the deceased through a window, as the body lay on a slab beside the post-mortem table. nIn May 1959 the renewed Ross Ward opened - the Hospital's first modern ward - for surgical and gynaecological patients. The Hospital then had 98 beds, used variously for maternity, surgical, gynaecological and chronic cases. In addition, there were 4 cots for premature babies. Although some 90% of nurses were non-resident, it was recognised that there was a need for a Recreation Hall; the Hospital's League of Friends raised some £25,000 towards the cost of this project. The Hall was built at the far southeastern part of the site. The Out-Patients building - the Upney Clinic - now also accommodated an orthopaedic clinic. By 1960 the Hospital admitted mainly female patients. Plans were prepared for the expansion of the Hospital from its current 102 beds to 250 general beds by the erection of a 4-storey block at a cost of £1m. In the meantime, improvements to the existing wards continued. Stainless steel sinks were provided on all wards and in the main kitchen. The verandah to Je er Ward, now the female geriatric ward, was made into a pleasant sitting room and fitted with Venetian blinds. During the 1950s a severe shortage of nursing staff, especially midwives, meant that some beds had had to be closed but, in June 1960, deliveries resumed in Harvey Ward, relieving the pressure on Williams Ward, the main maternity ward. A Special Baby Care Unit for premature babies opened in Williams Ward (babies were also accepted from other hospitals). The need for a Leg Unit had been recognised, and this opened in April 1961 in Paget Ward. The 15-bedded unit had cost £5,500. Patients were seen in the Out-Patients Department at King George Hospital, Ilford, and operated on at Barking Hospital. A special X-ray service was supplied by Chadwell Heath Hospital. In 1965 the Hospital had 110 beds for mainly female patients. The new £1m building, built just to the north of the existing ward buildings, was officially opened by Princess Alexandra in April 1967. In 1970 the Hospital had 286 beds for mainly acute and maternity cases. Following a major reorganisation of the NHS in 1974, the Hospital came under the control of the East Roding District Health Authority, part of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority. The Hospital was rebuilt during the 1980s and, in 1987, a new maternity wing was opened, built on the site of the old Out-Patients building. The Hospital then had 314 beds for mainly acute and maternity patients. In 1990 the Hospital was under the control of Redbridge District Health Authority and had 362 beds for acute and maternity cases. In 1993 it came under the Redbridge Health Care Trust, when it had 254 beds for acute care and rehabilitation. By 1995 it had 96 beds for acute care and geriatric patients. In 1999, most of the site was sold off to Wilcon Homes for housing development, and a small part to Hanover Housing for apartments with associated care facilities for elderly people. In 2000 the Hospital had 96 beds, but only three of its four wards were operational as services began to be run down. In 2003 it came under the control of the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust; there were notionally 105 beds. In 2007 medical and surgical in-patient services moved to King George Hospital in Barley Lane, while mental health in-patients were transferred to Grays Court, an intermediate care centre in Dagenham.n
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/oldchurch.html Oldchurch Hospital originated from the Romford Union workhouse, which had been built during 1838 and 1839 to the southwest of Romford. The 5-acre site on Oldchurch Road was purchased by the Union from a Mr Philpot at £160 an acre. The 2-storey workhouse building was cruciform, a popular design with the dormitory blocks laid out in a cross-shape. It could house 450 inmates. The administration block was at the south of the site, while the main accommodation blocks radiated from a central hub. Observation windows in the hub enabled the workhouse master to observe the inmates in each of the four exercise yards. The dormitories and Day Rooms for the female inmates were on the eastern side in the northeast and southeast arms of the cross, while the males occupied the western side in the northwest and southwest arms. The kitchens and dining rooms were located at the north of the building. In 1893 the workhouse was renamed the Romford Poor Law Institution. An infirmary block was added at the north of the site. During WW1 the infirmary of the Institution became the Romford Military Hospital, an auxiliary hospital for the Colchester Military Hospital, with 82 beds for wounded and sick servicemen. In 1924 further additions were built at the north and east of the site. In 1929, following the abolition of the Poor Law Guardians, the workhouse and its infirmary came under the administration of Essex County Council, who converted the buildings into the Oldchurch County Hospital. The Hospital, which incorporated the old workhouse buildings, was much expanded during the 1930s to have over 800 beds. Hainault Lodge became an a exe to provide accommodation for elderly chronically ill female patients. During WW2 it joined the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) with 868 beds, of which 96 were EMS beds for air-raid casualties. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS under the control of the Romford Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1950 it had 750 beds for general and maternity cases but, by 1952, some 718 beds. It remained an acute hospital and, by 1962, it had 651 beds for acute and maternity patients. In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital came under the control of the Havering District Health Authority, part of the Barking and Havering Area Health Authority of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority. Its maternity services had closed and it had 629 beds for acute cases. In 1980 it had 600 beds. In 1982, after another NHS reorganisation, it came under the control of the Barking, Havering and Brentwood District Health Authority. By 1986 it had 530 beds. In 1993, following another NHS reform, the Hospital was under the control of the Havering Hospitals NHS Trust. In 2000 it had 473 beds. Despite local opposition, the old cruciform workhouse building was demolished so that a temporary single-storey building could be erected in its place. In 2003 the Hospital was administered by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust. By 2005 there were 565 beds. The Hospital closed in 2006, with the last patient being seen on 15th December. Services were transferred to the nearby newly built Queen's Hospital and to the King George Hospital in Chadwell Heath.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/connaught.html In the late 19th century Walthamstow residents Mr and Mrs Tudor opened a 'Cottage for Sick Children' in a private house in Brandon Road. The Hospital moved to larger premises in Salisbury Road in 1880 and became known as the Leyton, Walthamstow and Wanstead Hospital. In 1894 the gift of Holmcroft in Orford Road enabled the hospital to expand so that it could also provide general services, and it was duly renamed the Children's and General Hospital for Leyton, Leytonstone, Walthamstow and Wanstead. It was enlarged in 1897 and again in 1903. By 1925 it had 50 beds. The Leyton and Leytonstone War Memorial Ward was added in 1927. In 1928 it was renamed the Co aught Hospital, as the Duchess of Co aught had been patron since 1866. The Duke of Kent had helped to raise £17,000 for its ru ing costs. By this time it had 100 beds. Comely Bank in Orford Road was acquired as a clinic in 1930. In 1934 the Hospital was enlarged again and by 1939 had 118 beds. Although mooted in 1945, the prospect of building a larger hospital never materialized and, in 1959, the old Walthamstow Town Hall, built in 1866, was incorporated into the Hospital and became its main entrance. This expanded it to 128 beds. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS under the control of the Forest Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1974, following a major reorganisation of the NHS, it came under the auspices of the Enfield District Health Authority, part of the North East Thames Regional Health Board. The Hospital finally closed in 1977 due to financial cutbacks in the NHS.
King George Hospital, Ilford, Essex, started in 1912 as the Ilford Emergency Hospital to serve the Ilford, Barking and Dagenham areas with 20 beds. During WW1 it became an approved military hospital with 56 beds.
Claybury Hospital opened in 1893 as the London County Lunatic Asylum, Ilford. At the end of the 20th Century with the Care in the Community Programme and decline in patient numbers from its peak of 4,000 patients, Claybury closed in 1997 and the historic buildings converted into luxury flats.
From Lost Hospitals of London: https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/rushgreen.html The Romford Isolation Hospital opened in April 1901 with 24 beds. It had been built by the Romford Rural and Romford Urban District Councils and served the Romford, Dagenham and Hornchurch areas. It was enlarged in 1906, after which it had 70 beds. A new pavilion ward block with 8 beds for TB patients was built in 1914. After the Becontree Estate was built by the LCC during the 1920s the Hospital was much enlarged in the 1930s to cater for the greatly increased population. During WW2 it joined the Emergency Medical Service and became the Rush Green Emergency Hospital - a general hospital with 230 beds available for military and air-raid casualties. The Hospital buildings themselves suffered some bomb damage and, on 16th June 1944, a flying bomb destroyed a ward. Six patients and two nurses were killed. After the war, in June 1947, a plaque commemorating the staff and patients who lost their lives in the incident was unveiled by the Minister of Health, Aneurin Bevan. In 1948 the Hospital joined the NHS under the control of the Romford Group Hospital Management Committee, part of the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. It was renamed Rush Green Hospital and became a general hospital with 180 beds. The old open wards were considered unsuitable for fever patients, but one remained open, under protest, for scarlet fever patients, while two became used for TB patients, and one was closed due to insufficient staff (but probably would have been used for TB patients if there had been enough nurses). In 1957 the Hospital had 301 beds. A Polio Unit was established as there had been an epidemic of the disease during the 1950s. By 1966 there were 316 beds for general and infectious diseases patients, including the Polio Unit. In May 1969 a new 5-story maternity unit with 115 beds was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent. It had cost £829,000 to build and equip. In 1972 there were 409 beds. The maternity block contained 78 obstetric and 55 gynaecological beds. A Special Care Baby Unit for premature babies had also been established.
Following a major reorganisation of the NHS in 1974, the Hospital came under the control of the Barking District Health Authority, part of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority. In 1982, after another reorganisation of the NHS, the Hospital was administered by the Barking, Havering and Brentwood District Health Authority. It had 397 beds. By 1990 it had 345 beds. Maternity services were moved to Harold Wood Hospital and, in 1994, the local Health Authority decided to close the Hospital, despite local opposition.
The first meeting of the Governing Body was held on 23 October 1891 at the offices of the London School Board. It was originally made up of 12 members:
5 members nominated by the Committee of the South London Polytechnic Institutes;
3 members nominated by the Central Governing Body of the City Parochial Foundation;
2 members nominated by the London County Council;
2 members nominated by the School Board of London.
The Chair of the first meeting was Sir Philip Magnus. The Chair was shared between Sir Philip Magnus, Evan Spicer and Edric Bayley until Edric Bayley was chosen as the permanent Chair at the meeting of 18 February 1892.
At its meeting of 31 March 1892 the Governing Body appointed three committees of seven members each. A Finance Committee, Educational Committee and Recreational Committee. The Educational and Recreation Committee sat together as the General Purposes Committee. The General Purposes Committee advised on the classes to be provided and the teaching staff.
With the formation of the Polytechnic of the South Bank a Council of Governors was created, whose first meeting was held on 24 September 1970, with Harold Shearman as Chairman. The last meeting of the Governing Body of the Borough Polytechnic was held on 12 November 1970.
This became the Board of Governors in 1989.