| Wanstead Hospital | |
| Location: | London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates: | 51.5845°N 0.0264°W |
| Healthcare: | NHS England |
| Emergency: | No |
| Founded: | 1938 |
| Closed: | 1986 |
| Map Type: | United Kingdom London Redbridge |
Wanstead Hospital was a former NHS hospital situated on Hermon Hill in Snaresbrook, not far from Wanstead in north-east London.
The building was originally constructed to accommodate the Merchant Seamen's Orphan Asylum and was opened by Prince Albert in 1861.[1] [2] A chapel was added in 1863.[2] The orphans moved to Bearwood House in Wokingham and the orphan asylum became a convent in 1921.[3] The building was taken over by Essex County Council and converted to use as a hospital in 1938.[2] It joined the National Health Service in 1948 but, after services were transferred to Whipps Cross Hospital, closed in 1986.[2]
The majority of the building was gutted internally and converted into apartments.[2] The hospital's old chapel lay empty until 1995, when it was purchased by what was then the Buckhurst Hill Reform Synagogue. The building was refurbished to a high standard and is now the Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue.[2]
The exterior of the hospital was used for the opening credits of the Doctor in the House comedy series produced by London Weekend Television from 1969.[4]