Hammersmith Hospital

Hammersmith Hospital stands in White City, West London, on a five-and-a-half-hectare site beside Wormwood Scrubs prison. It began in 1902 as a workhouse infirmary built by the Hammersmith Poor Law Guardians. A temporary iron building was raised to treat smallpox cases in the winter of 1901–02. The firm Giles, Gough and Trollope designed the permanent structures. In 1916 the War Office took over the site for the Military Orthopaedic Hospital to care for wounded soldiers. Robert Jones, a noted surgeon, helped secure the hospital’s early funding. The hospital’s reputation grew through world-first treatments and research. In 1953 it housed the world’s first medical linear accelerator at the MRC’s Radiotherapeutic Research Unit. The Commonwealth Building opened in 1966 with a postgraduate medical school, the Wellcome Library and research departments. Professor Lord Winston established the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology on the site in 2001. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College formed the first academic health science centre in 2007. A recent trial aims to improve kidney transplant outcomes by matching white blood cell types. Visitors find modern clinical buildings alongside older structures. The Heart Attack Centre serves North West London, and the West London Renal and Transplant Centre is a leading unit. The Catherine Lewis Centre treats leukaemia patients, and the Department of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery handles complex referrals. The London Institute of Medical Sciences, run by the Medical Research Council, drives imaging research. The hospital’s grounds lie next to Wormwood Scrubs, a large open space. Despite changes to emergency services, the site remains a focus for advanced medical care and research.