Erection date: 1924
The borough of Hornsey War Memorial
This plaque is placed above the door of the War Memorial building. It seems that when opened this building was the entrance hall to the hospital and the walls were hung with marble tablets recording the names of the fallen. Possibly the tablets are still there. Perhaps there are open days when someone local could visit and report back?
Site: Hornsey Central Hospital war memorial and others (10 memorials)
N8, Park Road, 151, Hornsey Central Health Centre
There are 10 memorials in this area around the the war memorial building in our photo. The two pier heads are to the right of the building, at the entrance to a small area of grass which contains 3 uncomfortable-looking benches which seem to be constructed from other architectural stone-work from the demolished buildings.
The two VC pavement plaques are laid in the terrace to the right of the war memorial building.
To the right of the steps there is a disabled access ramp, the walls of which have been used to hold the other 6 plaques, rescued from the old buildings.
From the magnificent Lost Hospitals of London: The Hornsey Cottage Hospital was built by Hornsey Borough Council on land donated by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The foundation stone was laid in 1907 but the Hospital did not open until 1910. See this 1910 map.
The building was extended in 1924 as part of a War Memorial for those killed during WW1. See this 1935 map. In 1927 it changed its name to Hornsey Central Hospital because of nursing staff recruitment problems - nurses were unwilling to work in a 'cottage' hospital. The Hospital was further extended in 1938 and again in 1956. It closed in 2001 and the buildings became derelict and were squatted until 2007, when demolition began.
From the Imperial War Museum we understand that in 1925 (or 1924 according to the stone itself) the South Ward (the War Memorial extension according to the stone itself) was erected and the foundation stone was laid by Mrs Anderson. Seems likely that the memorial stone for James Anderson, financed by his mother, was unveiled at the same ceremony.
Hornsey Historical Society has a photo of the war memorial building and other hospital buildings which have since been demolished. This article describes how residents were involved in deciding on the form that the Hornsey war memorial should take. They voted overwhelmingly for this building "the hospital entrance on the main road (Park Road) would have a special feature, ‘of an artistic memorial design’, with an entrance hall hung with marble tablets recording the names of the Fallen". The War Memorial building was opened on Armistice Day, 11th November 1921 and dedicated by the Bishop of Willesden.
The IWM site seems to suggest that the building in our photograph is the 'Hornsey memorial chapel' but we don't think that's right - there are no religious symbols on the building, nothing church-like at all, and the HHS article makes no mention of a memorial chapel.
The Wellcome Collection holds the hospital's 1929 Annual Report which has a good photo showing the layout of the buildings on Park Road.
