Built 1937

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New Nurses' Home

Inner court showing dining room in north wing and nurses' sitting room in east wing (bottom right) of new nurses' home, Oct 1937 (Catalogue reference: SC01601-B5933)

Rear elevation from Kenworthy Road (formerly Tynte Street), November 1937 (catalogue reference: SC01605-B5912)

Probationers' sitting room, Nov 1937.

Front elevation from entrance gate, November 1937 (catalogue reference: SC01605-B5929)

View of the nurses' home hallway, Jan 1946 (Catalogue reference: SC01601-F2955)

(Catalogue reference: SC01607-B5920)

(Catalogue reference: SC01607-A9972)

Lecture room in nurses' home, Jan 1946 (Ref: F2956)

Staff sisters' common room, Oct 1937 (Catalogue reference: SC01604-B5918).

By Lisa Rigg

In October 1937 the Right Honourable Herbert Morrison JP MP (Leader of the London County Council) opened the new nurses’ home. Located on the east side of the site, overlooking Kenworthy Road, the U-shaped block was to provide accommodation for nurses. Built of brick with metal window frames this six-storey residence provided comfortable accommodation as well as on-site training facilities in the form of two lecture rooms and a library, which were located on the ground floor.

In the 19th century nurses were viewed as ‘servants’ rather than ‘professionals’. This perception was reflected by the kind of accommodation that was provided for them by the board of guardians. Nurses usually lived within the infirmary buildings in inadequate servant-like quarters. This was the case at Hackney as there was no on-site nurses’ home until c.1911 when W A Finch designed a nurses' home on the west side of the site. The improvement in nurses’ accommodation can be seen as a direct result of the improvement in the status of nurses. By the 1890s more training was being provided and there was a new found respect for the profession.*

The LCC Planning and Development Sub-committee decided to build a new nurses’ home in 1934. This would have been as a direct result of increases in nurses training and working at the hospital during this period. In November 1935 a tender from C Miskin and Sons (St Albans) was accepted for the construction of the building at the estimated cost of £91,500.

The plain and monolithic appearance of the homes’ exterior was counterbalanced with a homely and domestic interior. On the ground floor, as well as lecture rooms and a library, there were two sitting rooms – one for probationer nurses and the other for staff sisters, a dining room, three kitchens and a smoking room. The probationers’ sitting room with its large, polygonal bay of floor-to-ceiling windows contained a fireplace, comfortable easy chairs, occasional tables, rugs, and a grand piano for nurses’ to play. The sitting rooms overlooked an artificial stone-paved patio and lawns. In 1938 a tennis court was added for the nurses’ to enjoy. The nurses’ bedrooms and bathrooms were located on the upper storeys.

The nurses’ home was demolished in 2009-10 with the plan to build key worker housing on the site.

Endnotes

* Nurses at Hackney Union Infirmary sat exams from 1898.

This page was added by Lisa Rigg on 11/10/2009.

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Hackney Hospital, Homerton High Street

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