Description
Guy's Hospital was founded by Sir Thomas Guy in 1721, and built on a site to the south of the old St Thomas' Hospital, which had been here since medieval times until its relocation to Lambeth in 1862. The hospital has considerably expanded over the years with numerous new buildings and facilities but there are a number of courtyards, with sculptures and landscaping, and a Memorial Garden.
Practical Information
| Site location | St Thomas Street/Great Maze Pond |
|---|---|
| Postcode | SE1 9RT |
| What3Words | ///wages.caked.splash |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube (Jubilee, Northern): London Bridge. Bus: 17, 21, 35, 40, 43, 47, 48, 133, 141, 149, 343, 381, 521, 701, RV1, C10. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Guy's Hospital was founded by Sir Thomas Guy in 1721, and was built on a site to the south of the old St Thomas' Hospital, which had been here since medieval times until it closed in 1862 and moved to the current site in Lambeth. Sir Thomas Guy was a successful printer and publisher, and a governor of St Thomas' Hospital, who had made money in South Sea stock before the crash. Building commenced in 1721 and the main building with wings and chapel appears to have planned by Thomas Dance although not completed in his lifetime (d.1733), a symmetrical building with cloistered courtyards. The east wing was built in 1738-41 by Dance's successor James Steere and the west wing with the chapel in 1774-7, designed by Richard Jupp who also remodelled the main building. The main entrance with gates and railings of 1741 was on St Thomas Street, to the south of which are the quadrangle ranges and inner courtyards.
Guy's Hospital opened in 1726, initially taking in 'incurables' who were not admitted to St Thomas's Hospital but later becoming a general hospital. Sir Thomas had died in 1724, and was later reburied in the hospital chapel in 1780. Beyond the main entrance gates, in the forecourt courtyard adjacent to the chapel, is his bronze statue by Peter Scheemakers of 1739. A passageway leads through the old buildings to an inner landscaped courtyard in which one of the alcoves originally on the Old London Bridge has been installed. The old bridge was demolished in 1831 and the alcove was purchased by the hospital for 10 guineas and resited here for use as a shelter for convalescents. A life-sized bronze statue of the poet John Keats, who trained as a surgeon-apothecary at Guy's in 1815-16, was sited in the alcove in 2005. It was commissioned from Stuart Williamson to commemorate Dr Robert Knight who trained and worked at Guy's. In the other inner courtyard a statue of Lord Nuffield by Maurice Lambert was installed in 1944.
South of the older buildings, a Memorial Arch was erected in 1921, which commemorates members of staff at Guy's Hospital who died in both world wars, with the names of 131 people who died in WWI on one side, and on the other the names of 94 who died in WWII. The arch forms the entrance to the memorial garden. Adjacent to the garden is the Children's Memorial Sculpture commissioned in 2005 from artist Carol Misch in memory of children who died at the Evelina Children's Hospital between its opening in 1869 and its relocation to the St Thomas' site in 2005. It consists of a glass sculpture with double helices to represent DNA and has a quotation from Ben Johnson inscribed in the paving around the sculpture.
Guy's Hospital opened in 1726, initially taking in 'incurables' who were not admitted to St Thomas's Hospital but later becoming a general hospital. Sir Thomas had died in 1724, and was later reburied in the hospital chapel in 1780. Beyond the main entrance gates, in the forecourt courtyard adjacent to the chapel, is his bronze statue by Peter Scheemakers of 1739. A passageway leads through the old buildings to an inner landscaped courtyard in which one of the alcoves originally on the Old London Bridge has been installed. The old bridge was demolished in 1831 and the alcove was purchased by the hospital for 10 guineas and resited here for use as a shelter for convalescents. A life-sized bronze statue of the poet John Keats, who trained as a surgeon-apothecary at Guy's in 1815-16, was sited in the alcove in 2005. It was commissioned from Stuart Williamson to commemorate Dr Robert Knight who trained and worked at Guy's. In the other inner courtyard a statue of Lord Nuffield by Maurice Lambert was installed in 1944.
South of the older buildings, a Memorial Arch was erected in 1921, which commemorates members of staff at Guy's Hospital who died in both world wars, with the names of 131 people who died in WWI on one side, and on the other the names of 94 who died in WWII. The arch forms the entrance to the memorial garden. Adjacent to the garden is the Children's Memorial Sculpture commissioned in 2005 from artist Carol Misch in memory of children who died at the Evelina Children's Hospital between its opening in 1869 and its relocation to the St Thomas' site in 2005. It consists of a glass sculpture with double helices to represent DNA and has a quotation from Ben Johnson inscribed in the paving around the sculpture.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ328800 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust |
| Site Management | Guy's Hospital |
| Dates | 1721-28 onwards |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: Guy's Hospital main building including wings and chapel. LBII: gates and railings on St Thomas Street; Statue of Thomas Guy in courtyard |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
| Other LA Designation | Within Central Area of Community Need within Central London Boundary |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The land here was open fields until the C18th when it was purchased by the Trustees of Guy's Hospital for use as a burial ground for deceased patients. It continued as a burial ground until the 1850s Burial Acts led to its closure. For a time it was leased to a local builder but in the 1890s part was purchased by Bermondsey Vestry for a much-needed public recreation ground, opening as Nelson Recreation Ground in 1899. Although it was refurbished after WWII war damage it became run down. It was renamed and refurbished after local residents set up Friends of Guy Street Park in 2001 following community consultation. It re-opened in 2003 with improved lighting, seating, play areas, a community garden and a community artwork that also provided illumination.
Leathermarket Gardens were laid out in the 1930s overlooked by flats of the same period. The garden derives its name from the leather market and tanneries that existed here and on the north side is an early C19th leather warehouse. To the east end of the garden is a rectangular sunken area with formal layout of beds. In the central area, separated by a low brick wall, is a raised circular rose garden surrounded by lawn with ornamental trees, behind which is a quiet garden planted with trees and grass, shielded by privet. Adjacent to the west of the gardens is a children's playground. The gardens have been re-landscaped with EH and other funding and are now surrounded by new railings.
Southwark Cathedral is the oldest Gothic church in London. It was completed in the C13th after the original church burnt down in 1212. Since then parts of the Cathedral have been used as a prison, for housing, a bakery and even a pig sty! Refounded as the Priory Church of St Marie Overie, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it became a parish church dedicated to St Saviour, eventually becoming a Cathedral in 1905 for the new Diocese of Southwark. In 1910 landscape gardener Madeline Agar renovated the south-west corner of the churchyard on behalf of the Chapter. The churchyard was later re-landscaped in 2000/1 with a number of garden areas created when major extensions were made to the building, providing new facilities.
