Goodmayes Hospital – Historical Overview
Referenced from multiple public history sources and reports on the site.
Location: Goodmayes, London Borough of Redbridge
Opened: 1 August 1901 (patients admitted 6 August 1901)
Closed/Abandoned: Original hospital buildings vacated in early 2000s
Original Name: West Ham Borough Lunatic Asylum
Later Names: West Ham Mental Hospital (1918), Goodmayes Hospital (1948 onwards)
Capacity: Initially 800 patients, expanded to over 1,300 by 1934
Key Historical Facts
- Built after West Ham became a borough in 1886 and decided to stop sending patients to Essex County Asylum.
- Constructed on the former Blue House Farm site, away from the borough’s populated areas.
- Designed in a red-brick “Pavilion” layout with 17 wards (8 male, 9 female).
- Facilities included an isolation pavilion, two gatehouses, senior staff residences, married attendants’ cottages, a bakery, laundry, artesian well, and multiple trade workshops.
- Expanded in the 1930s with new villas and wards.
- Joined the NHS in 1948 as Goodmayes Hospital.
- Declined in use from the 1980s onwards due to community-based mental health care.
- Majority of original buildings were vacated after the opening of King George Hospital, Chapters House (2002), and Sunflowers Court (2011).
Current Status
- Large sections of the Edwardian asylum complex remain abandoned.
- Interiors show significant decay — water damage, peeling paint, broken windows, and overgrown exteriors.
- The site is partially active due to modern hospital buildings nearby, but the historic wards are unused.
Our Visit
We went a week or so ago, early morning to avoid any staff. Secca was heard as we were leaving, so we timed it just right! It was good to finally get here, though it was kind of hard in the dark, scaling walls and shielded ladders.
Leave a Reply