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.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

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 ...

Read More

St Benedict's Hospital - turret + portico

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

Read More

Other Subjects

Prince of Wales's typhoid recovery

Prince of Wales's typhoid recovery

In 1871 the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) suffered an attack of typhoid fever (the illness of which his father had died 10 years earlier) while at his home, Sandringham in Norfolk. To everyon...

Event, Medicine, Royalty

1 memorial
Dr Frederick N. Hicks

Dr Frederick N. Hicks

Long term resident of Stanmore. From HADAS "Dr Frederick Hicks is a retired GP and Vice-Chairman of the Stanmore & Harrow Historical Society." From MyLondon: "... Dr Hicks has attended St John...

Person, History, Medicine, Religion, Australia

1 memorial
Dr Robert Knight

Dr Robert Knight

Like Keats Knight trained in medicine at Guy's Hospital. Knight failed to write any acclaimed odes but, unlike Keats, went on to work at Guy's throughout his career as a consultant physician with a...

Person, Medicine

1 memorial
F. Donald MacKenzie

F. Donald MacKenzie

Assistant Commissioner in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1887-1910. Knight Grace in the Order of St John.

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Medical Society of London

Medical Society of London

Founded by Dr Lettsom. Originally based in the City, the Medical Society moved to its present house, Lettsom House, 11 Chandos Street, in 1873.

Group, Community / Clubs, Medicine

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Edward Gale

Edward Gale

Co-church warden of St Sepulchre Middlesex in 1868.

Person, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
F. H. Belchem

F. H. Belchem

TR/L 136421 Private Royal Fusiliers.

Person

War dead, WW1
1 memorial
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
Bronislaw Kubica

Bronislaw Kubica

Sculptor.  Polish. Active in 1974.

Person, Sculpture, Poland

1 memorial
William Reed

William Reed

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

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial