Although we like to think of hospitals as places of stability, the story of South Street Hospital is one of transformation and change. It started out as small rectangular buildings, surrounded by fields and greenery; changed to widely spaced river-side pavilions; morphed into a modern hospital through demolitions and construction booms; and finally fell into disrepair after the merger with a more up-to-date hospital. HGIS allows us to compare the changes in the area more easily.
When we combine HGIS with historical research, several trends become clear. Construction work at the hospital reflects the constant tension between the medical innovations it achieved and the deterioration it fought in crisis after crisis. Despite its abundance of land, the hospital never seemed to have enough space, and overcrowding led to new buildings for patients. There were many other factors which led to changes in the hospital's design, including epidemics, financial shortages, population growth, increasing social acceptance of hospitals, changing approaches to medicine, and new technology. A comparison of building footprints therefore opens the door to wider questions about the history and culture of London.
Would you like to: