The Grove Hospital, originally the Grove Fever Hospital, was a hospital for infectious diseases opened in Tooting Grove, London in 1899.
History The hospital was commissioned in 1893 by the Metropolitan Asyslum Board (MAB) and opened as the Grove Fever Hospital in Tooting Grove, London in 1899.
The Fountain Fever Hospital was added as an annexe in 1893, but in 1913 it was converted to become a mental hospital for children who were severely 'mentally subnormal'.
The Grove Fever Hospital became the Grove Military Hospital in 1916 before reverting to civilian use as a fever hospital again in 1920. In 1930 the hospital came under the jurisdiction of the London County Council, following the Local Government Act 1929. At this time the hospital had 556 beds and the senior staff were: JH Whitaker MD, BS, DPH (Medical Director), Miss MH Griffith (Matron) and HE Austin MBE (steward).
In 1932, Joseph Bramhall Ellison, while working at the hospital, discovered that vitamin A significantly reduces measles mortality in children.
As the Grove Hospital, it joined the National Health Service in 1948. It became incorporated into St George's Hospital, as the Tooting Branch, in 1958. Although two ward blocks remain, most of the premises were demolished in 1973 to make way for the new St. George's Hospital, which transferred from its previous site in central London at Hyde Park Corner.
Notable staff
Alice Ann Browne R.R.C.Alice Ann Browne, 9 April 1919, Register of The Royal Red Cross, 1883–1994; WO145/2, 111; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk, accessed on 28 February 2021] (1866– ) Matron, 1902 – until at least 1925,Browne, Alice Ann, Register of Nurses, General Part 1925, 205; The General Nursing Council for England and Wales; The Nursing Registers, 1898–1968 [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 10 June 2018] also Matron of The Grove Military Hospital 1916–1919.Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons’? A study of Eva Lückes’s influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022) Browne trained at The London Hospital under Eva Luckes between 1895 and 1897 and had worked at St Pancras Infirmary as Night Sister and Matron at the Union Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne before this appointment. Whilst she was matron of the Fever Hospital, Browne was responsible for 537 patients. As a military hospital it enlarged to 1,000 beds. Flora Harris (1870-1930), Assistant Matron and Matron of the Fountain Hospital and Highwood School 1910-1930. Harris trained at The London Hospital under Eva Luckes between 1902-1904.Rogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons'? A study of Eva Lückes's influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)Flora Harris, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/2, 58; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London.Flora Harris, Private Nursing Institution Register, October 1905 – September 1906; RLHLH/N/5/11, 240; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, LondonFlora Harris, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/9, 93; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
References
External links St George's Hospital