40 years ago my band and I rehearsed here every week.
I drove past recently and decided to stop, glad I did.
Here's a biog of the place:
I drove past recently and decided to stop, glad I did.
Here's a biog of the place:
| Medical dates: Medical character: | 1914 - 1988 Specialist. Later, mental | |
| The Goldie Leigh Children's Cottage Homes for local orphans were opened in 1902 by the Woolwich Union. The name may have been derived from two local families - the Leighs and the Goldies (the Goldie residence later became included in the Hospital grounds). The Homes were in two-storey houses along Lodge Lane. The 7.32 hectare site also contained a laundry and an infirmary. In 1914 the Metropolitan Asylums Board took over the site to use as a hospital for children with ringworm who had previously been treated at Downs Hospital, Banstead. Later, children with other skin diseases were also admitted. In 1930 the LCC took over the administration of the Homes, when there were 218 beds. The name was changed to Goldie Leigh Hospital in 1933. By 1938 it had 248 beds. For its long-stay patients the Hospital had its own school and ran its own Cub, Boy Scout, Brownie and Girl Guide groups. During WW2 the corridors were made into air-raid shelters. An Auxiliary Fire Service station was located on the premises and the male staff of the Hospital formed its own Home Guard company. The patients were evacuated only when the area was bombarded by V2 rockets towards the end of the War. As treatments for skin disorders improved, the demand for in-patient hospital treatment declined. In 1961 the Bostall Unit began to admit children with learning difficulties. The Hospital continued to provide accommodation for mentally disabled children until 1988. |
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