Building    To 1981

St Benedict's Hospital

Categories: Medicine

Hill House, built in 1802, was the manor house on this site. It was bought by St Joseph's Teaching Brotherhood and they built a Roman Catholic school, St Joseph's Roman Catholic College, in 1887. This moved to Beulah Hill in 1895 and in 1897 the site was taken over by the Wandsworth Board of Guardians to provide extra workhouse accommodation.The College building was enlarged and renamed the Tooting Home for the Aged and Infirm. Hill House became the Nurses' Home. 1903 more patient accommodation was added.

WW1 the Home became the Church Lane Military Hospital (also known as the Tooting Military Hospital) and it was used as a neurological hospital for shell-shocked and neurasthenic ex-servicemen until 1923. It was then empty until 1931 when the LCC reopened it as St Benedict's Hospital for long-stay patients. 1948 it joined the NHS. More patient accommodation was built in 1951.It closed in 1981 and housing now (2016) occupies the site.

All this information from the always excellent Lost Hospitals of London. This 1895 map shows the site with Hill House and the RC College in place.

Our picture source, History of St Benedicts, has other good photos as does Workhouses.

Footnote: Daniel Defoe is said to have lived in Hill House but the authoritative History of Tooting-Graveney: Surrey, 1897, by W. E. Morden is certain that Defoe could never have lived in a house on this site since Hill House was built, 1802, "in the comer of a field under cultivation", after Defoe's death, 1731.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
St Benedict's Hospital

Commemorated ati

St Benedict's Hospital - piers

Site of Tooting Military Hospital during World War 1; St Benedict's Hospital ...

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St Benedict's Hospital - turret + portico

This reminds us of that scene at the end of Planet of the Apes.

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Other Subjects

Dr. Louisa Garrett Anderson

Dr. Louisa Garrett Anderson

Born Aldeburgh, Suffolk. CBE MD. Daughter of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and niece of Millicent Fawcett. Suffragette. Established and ran the Endell Street Military Hospital. The picture shows Ander...

Person, Gender Issues, Medicine

2 memorials
J. W. Sanders, FRCS

J. W. Sanders, FRCS

Corps Surgeon in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1887-1890.

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Olive Jones

Olive Jones

Infirmary nurse at Chelsea Hospital.

Person, Medicine

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
Walter Reed

Walter Reed

American army surgeon prominent in proving that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. Born Belroi, Virginia. Died Washington.

Person, Armed Forces, Medicine, USA

1 memorial
St Nicholas Nursery

St Nicholas Nursery

In association with the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street.

Group, Children, Medicine

1 memorial

Previously viewed

John Light

John Light

John Light was born on 27 April 1967, the son of Dennis H. Light (b.1931) and Betty Lilian Light née James (b.1934). His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1967 in the Plymouth registration...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
William Reed

William Reed

Role on the lost expedition: Royal marine on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Stratford Depot

Stratford Depot

A Motive Power Depot (MPD) used for the storage of train engines when not in use.

Place, Engineering, Transport

1 memorial
Bunny Wailer / Bunny Livingston

Bunny Wailer / Bunny Livingston

Singer, songwriter and percussionist. Born as Neville O'Riley Livingston in Jamaica. Also known as Bunny Livingston or Jah B. He and Bob Marley were friends from boyhood, and they, along with Peter...

Person, Music / songs, Caribbean Islands

1 memorial
Mortlake Tapestry Works

Mortlake Tapestry Works

Barnes History has a nice hand-drawn map with a pin showing the location of these Tapestry Works, and it gives the history of the site. John Dee (1527 -1608) lived in a house on this site (with a l...

Building, Craft / Design

1 memorial