Since the eighteenth century, the hospitals of London have played a leading role in the development of modern medicine. Most joined the NHS on the ‘Appointed Day’ (5 July 1948) but, as medical treatments improved and financial budgets became increasingly stringent, many were considered redundant and closed, despite vociferous protests from local residents. Veronika and Fred Chambers are the first to chronicle a rich history of twentieth-century hospitals that has been hitherto neglected, beautifully illustrated with historic images from the collection of London-born Rob Higgins, now a Professor at the University of Warwick.

This book highlights the social history and diversity of these hospitals. Included are voluntary general and specialist hospitals, many of which became internationally renowned undergraduate and postgraduate teaching centres, as well as the huge mental asylums built in the late nineteenth century and, at the other end of the scale, local cottage hospitals. This pictorial tour of London’s hospitals explores the fascinating stories behind some of the city’s most iconic institutions, including St Bartholomew’s Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and the National Hospital (Queen Square).