Description
The London Chest Hospital was founded in 1848 to offer treatment to poor people in the City and East London suffering from tuberculosis. Land owned by the Crown was acquired on Bonner Fields, formerly the site of Stepney Manor House, demolished in 1848, where there had been plans to lay out ornamental gardens as part of Victoria Park. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1851 and the new hospital opened in 1855. In the following decades pioneering work led to a greater understanding of TB. The hospital was set in spacious grounds with mature trees including an ancient mulberry tree once in the grounds of Bishop Bonner's palace. As open-air treatment was recommended sun balconies were added to the south-east of the building in the early 1900s, although they were later enclosed. The hospital closed in 2015 and the site sold for development to Circle Housing.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | The City of London Hospital for the Diseases of the Chest; Victoria Park Hospital |
|---|---|
| Site location | Bonner Road |
| Postcode | E2 9JX |
| What3Words | ///lived.smiled.last |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Partially |
| Public Transport | Rail: Cambridge Heath. Tube: Bethnal Green (Central). Bus: 309, D3 |
| Research Updated | 1 January 2016 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The London Chest Hospital was founded in 1848 by a group of philanthropic City bankers and merchants, the majority of whom were Quakers. At that time tuberculosis was a major cause of death, particularly common among poorer people, and the founders wanted to offer treatment to the people of the City and East London similar to that offered by the Brompton Hospital in West London, founded in 1841. Initially a public dispensary was opened in Liverpool Street, which immediately attracted large numbers of patients but the charity had to limit those it treated in order to keep solvent to raise the funds for its new hospital. An area of land owned by the Crown was acquired on Bonner Fields near the new Victoria Park (q.v.) and the foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1851. £30,000 was raised and the 80-bed hospital opened in 1855.
The hospital became world-renowned for the treatment of diseases of the heart and lungs, particularly pulmonary tuberculosis. Among its staff members was Lord Lister who pioneered the development of antiseptics and its doctors became involved in teaching and research. In 1890 they attracted the attention of Robert Koch who in 1882 had discovered the tubercle bacillus, which had led to a greater understanding of the disease. Another pioneer was Robert Philip in Edinburgh who had founded a Tuberculosis Dispensary in 1887 where the importance of early diagnosis, prevention, treatment and after-care was emphasised, and in 1912 adherence to his system was recommended throughout the UK by the Astor Committee, leading to a decline in the disease.
In order to provide open-air treatment at the London Chest Hospital, balconies had been added to the building in the early 1900s and a Tuberculosis Dispensary was provided in 1916. The hospital had expanded to 180 beds, and during WWI and its aftermath ex-Servicemen with TB and those who had been gassed in the trenches were treated. During WWII, under the Emergency Medical Service, half of the hospital's 200 beds were made available for air raid casualties. The hospital was badly bomb-damaged in 1941 particularly the North Wing, the chapel and nurses' home, but later repaired. In 1948 the hospital became part of the newly-created NHS and its governing board joined the Brompton Hospital. The post-war period saw the hospital develop. In 1963, twin theatres were designed and built specifically for the surgical treatment of tuberculosis. In 1970 the hospital became one of the pioneers in the investigation and treatment of coronary artery disease. In April 1994 after public consultation, The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust was formed, amalgamating The Royal London, St Bartholomew's and The London Chest hospitals. In 1999 The Trust was renamed Barts and The London NHS Trust.
In the grounds is an ancient mulberry tree, known as the Bethnal Green Mulberry, reputedly brought from Persia by James I in C16th. It grew in the grounds of the palace of Bishop Bonner, formerly on this site, and its fruit fed silkworms for the local silk weaving industry. In the Royal London Hospital Museum is an inkwell created in 1915 from one of its branches that has a plaque claiming the Bishop sat under the mulberry to enjoy shelter in the cool of the evening while deciding which heretics to execute.
The London Chest Hospital closed in 2015, and its services to become part of the specialist cardiovascular unit at Barts Hospital. The site was purchased by Circle Housing.
The hospital became world-renowned for the treatment of diseases of the heart and lungs, particularly pulmonary tuberculosis. Among its staff members was Lord Lister who pioneered the development of antiseptics and its doctors became involved in teaching and research. In 1890 they attracted the attention of Robert Koch who in 1882 had discovered the tubercle bacillus, which had led to a greater understanding of the disease. Another pioneer was Robert Philip in Edinburgh who had founded a Tuberculosis Dispensary in 1887 where the importance of early diagnosis, prevention, treatment and after-care was emphasised, and in 1912 adherence to his system was recommended throughout the UK by the Astor Committee, leading to a decline in the disease.
In order to provide open-air treatment at the London Chest Hospital, balconies had been added to the building in the early 1900s and a Tuberculosis Dispensary was provided in 1916. The hospital had expanded to 180 beds, and during WWI and its aftermath ex-Servicemen with TB and those who had been gassed in the trenches were treated. During WWII, under the Emergency Medical Service, half of the hospital's 200 beds were made available for air raid casualties. The hospital was badly bomb-damaged in 1941 particularly the North Wing, the chapel and nurses' home, but later repaired. In 1948 the hospital became part of the newly-created NHS and its governing board joined the Brompton Hospital. The post-war period saw the hospital develop. In 1963, twin theatres were designed and built specifically for the surgical treatment of tuberculosis. In 1970 the hospital became one of the pioneers in the investigation and treatment of coronary artery disease. In April 1994 after public consultation, The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust was formed, amalgamating The Royal London, St Bartholomew's and The London Chest hospitals. In 1999 The Trust was renamed Barts and The London NHS Trust.
In the grounds is an ancient mulberry tree, known as the Bethnal Green Mulberry, reputedly brought from Persia by James I in C16th. It grew in the grounds of the palace of Bishop Bonner, formerly on this site, and its fruit fed silkworms for the local silk weaving industry. In the Royal London Hospital Museum is an inkwell created in 1915 from one of its branches that has a plaque claiming the Bishop sat under the mulberry to enjoy shelter in the cool of the evening while deciding which heretics to execute.
The London Chest Hospital closed in 2015, and its services to become part of the specialist cardiovascular unit at Barts Hospital. The site was purchased by Circle Housing.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ353832 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Barts and the London |
| Site Management | Barts and the London |
| Dates | 1851-55 |
| Designers | F W Ordish |
| 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 | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Yes - Mulberry |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
The Cranbrook Estate was built for Bethnal Green MBC, designed by celebrated Russian architect Berthold Lubetkin. The estate's housing units range from bungalows for the elderly, through 2 and 4-storey terraces, to paired tower blocks, set within a formal, geometrical layout with two diagonal pedestrian avenues. In the north-east corner Lubetkin created a trompe-l'oeil sculpture in the form of a series of diminishing arches to continue the vista towards Victoria Park. The estate's hard and soft landscaping was an integral part of the design and included areas of grass, trees, raised planted areas and a communal garden for elderly residents of the bungalows. In 2009 Cranbrook Community Food Garden was established on a former playground.
Bethnal Green Museum was built on part of the remnants of the old Bethnal Green, 4.5 acres of which were sold in 1868 for the new Museum with the proviso that land not built on was to be public recreation grounds. In 1872 the 'Brompton Boilers' Museum was re-erected here, a temporary structure that had been built in 1856 to house the new South Kensington Museum, and opened as the Bethnal Green Museum of Science and Arts in 1872. In 1974 it became the V&A Museum of Childhood. The plane trees south of the building were planted in 1872 to form a division between the Museum and the Green and now separate the museum grounds from the public gardens. The museum is bounded by its original railings, with garden to the front and on either side, predominantly lawn with perimeter trees. 'The Eagle Slayer', a bronze statue of a boy was erected in the north-west corner of the grounds in 1927, but later relocated inside the museum, following substantial refurbishment works completed in 2006, which included re-modelling the front landscaping of the grounds. In 2020 the Museum closed for extensive alterations to the interior of the building, re-opening as Young V & A on 1 July 2023, with three new galleries.
* on The National Heritage List for England, Parks & Gardens
Museum Gardens were once part of Bethnal Green Poor's Lands, an area of former manorial waste that under a trust deed of 1690 was administered to benefit the local poor. The Poor's Lands were divided in 1825 when a site was purchased to build St John's Church. In 1872 a parcel of land in the northern section was purchased to erect the Bethnal Green Museum, with the proviso that land not needed for building would become a public recreation ground. As a result the land south of the museum was laid out and opened as ornamental public gardens in 1875, originally known as Bethnal Green Museum Garden. The garden contains mature trees and continues to have formal displays, including a raised mound of carpet bedding.
Museum Gardens were once part of Bethnal Green Poor's Lands, an area of former manorial waste that under a trust deed of 1690 was administered to benefit the local poor. The Poor's Lands were divided in 1825 when a site was purchased to build St John's Church. In 1872 a parcel of land in the northern section was purchased to erect the Bethnal Green Museum, with the proviso that land not needed for building would become a public recreation ground. As a result the land south of the museum was laid out and opened as ornamental public gardens in 1875, originally known as Bethnal Green Museum Garden. The garden contains mature trees and continues to have formal displays, including a raised mound of carpet bedding.
