Description
Now redeveloped as private housing, this is the former site of Southwood Hospital, which was here from 1951-91 on the east side of Southwood Lane. To the rear of the hospital were remains of the gardens of The Limes, a villa built in 1815. The hospital gardens comprised a sloping lawn flanked by belts of mature trees, including magnolia, yew, plane and some exotic specimen trees with early C20th planting that included a number of conifers.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | The Limes; Radlett House; Southwood Hospital |
|---|---|
| Site location | Southwood Lane |
| Postcode | N6 5SP |
| What3Words | ///smiled.files.valid |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Haringey |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private |
| Events | Linear House has opened for London Open House |
| Public Transport | Tube: Highgate (Northern). Bus 43, 134, 143, 210, 271 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
This is the former site of Southwood Hospital, now redeveloped by Cityshape Ltd to provide 6 large private houses with secluded gardens. The hospital opened here in 1951 on an irregular-shaped site on the east side of Southwood Lane and to the rear were remains of the gardens of The Limes, a villa built in 1815 for the owners of Southwood. The house was altered and extended in the C19th, and was then further extended after it was purchased in 1921 by the Furniture Trades' Provident and Benevolent Institution for use as a children's home for the 'fatherless children' of its members. It was named Radlett House after Radlett in Hertfordshire, where the Institution's original orphanage had been founded in 1905. When the orphanage moved out of London in 1940, the house was leased to Middlesex County Council, who converted it into a hospital for the chronically ill, which opened in 1941. Radlett House later became part of the NHS and by 1951 was renamed Southwood Hospital, now providing 77 beds. In subsequent years the hospital shrunk to 30 beds by 1987 and when it closed in 1991 there were only 22. The east boundary of the garden with that of its neighbour to the north, Southwood House (q.v.), altered several times in the late C19th/ early C20th, and the extent of the hospital gardens was similar to that shown on the 1864 OS map. They comprised a sloping lawn flanked by belts of mature trees, including magnolia, yew, plane and some exotic specimen trees with early C20th planting that included a number of conifers.
Although Southwood Hospital closed in 1991, it was not until 2004 that the building was converted by Cityshape Ltd into Southwood Court, a terrace of six large 5-bedroom houses with secluded private gardens. In 2005 Cityshape also built Linear House in the former hospital grounds, a partially sunken 5-bedroom bungalow built into the sloping site, its roof planted with grass and wild flowers. Designed by Clague Architects, it won the RIBA Downland Sustainability Award in 2008 for its energy efficient design.
Although Southwood Hospital closed in 1991, it was not until 2004 that the building was converted by Cityshape Ltd into Southwood Court, a terrace of six large 5-bedroom houses with secluded private gardens. In 2005 Cityshape also built Linear House in the former hospital grounds, a partially sunken 5-bedroom bungalow built into the sloping site, its roof planted with grass and wild flowers. Designed by Clague Architects, it won the RIBA Downland Sustainability Award in 2008 for its energy efficient design.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ284878 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | private |
| Dates | C19th; C20th; 2004 |
| Designers | Not known |
| 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 | Haringey |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Highgate |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| 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
Southwood Park is a private development of luxury flats built in 1963-65, with communal gardens to the rear. It was previously the site of two earlier houses and their grounds, Southwood and Southwood Court, together with some additional land. Southwood's known history dates from 1707 and it had a number of illustrious owners and fine grounds. Southwood Court was built by 1882 on land purchased from the estate, again with a fine garden. In 1921 it was purchased by Julius Salter Elias who in 1932 purchased Southwood, which he demolished. In 1962 the last private owner sold the remainder of the estate to developers who demolished Southwood Court in 1965 to build the two blocks of flats that comprise Southwood Park. The communal gardens have lawns, a number of fine trees including a mature horse chestnut, a relic of the C18th gardens of Southwood.
Highpoint I and II are Modernist apartment blocks designed by Lubetkin and Tecton, regarded as fine examples of early International style architecture. The private landscaped gardens to the rear of the blocks were designed by Clarence Elliott in consultation with Lubetkin. The site was mature in the 1930s and the design worked around the existing trees.
The Southwood House Estate was built in 1958-62 on a triangular site formerly occupied by the C18th Southwood House and its grounds. The development of 2- and 3-storey housing was arranged in terraces on the three sides, overlooking a central communal garden where many of the existing mature trees and shrubs were retained. A number of exotic trees, many from North America and planted c.1900, remain in the communal garden and in private gardens of the development.