Hounslow Hospital

Hounslow Hospital was a small hospital for geriatric and long-stay patients situated in an industrial area of Hounslow, girdled by two motorways and Heathrow Airport. It was run by the Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority.

History

1875 a Cottage Hospital opened in Bell Road, Hounslow, founded the previous year by Dr. L. de B. Christian. In 1913 it moved to a new 2-storey purpose-built building in Staines Road. It had 20 beds. During the 1920s the Hospital was extended. In 1927 it had 54 beds and a new Out-Patients Department and X-ray Department were completed. During World War 2 the Hospital became part of the Emergency Medical Scheme. It then had 97 beds, 30 of which were EMS beds. ^[1]

Closure

The closure of the hospital was announced in January 1977, set for August 1977. A work-in was organised which kept the hospital open for several months. On October 26th 1977 the Health Authority forcibly removed the patients, but the occupation continued until November 1978. The Matron’s office was occupied by the Fightback production team, the Assistant Matron’s office was used as headquarters for the West London Fire Brigades Union, Maple Ward became a ‘conference hall’ used by various local groups. ^[2]

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