Homerton University Hospital, Homerton Row, Hackney

Window from old Hackney Hospital, c.1870s. Unlisted

Homerton Hospital was begun in 1982 and the new hospital opened in 1986. Services and departments were gradually moved here from nearby Hackney Hospital, which had been founded in 1750 as a pauper’s infirmary attached to the Hackney Union Workhouse. Hackney Hospital’s buildings are still in use by the NHS, although parts of the hospital complex were demolished in the 1990s. A window dating from the 1870s which once graced Hackney Hospital’s dining hall/chapel was saved during the demolition and sent to the new Homerton Hospital, where it was recently "re-discovered", having been packed away in a store room. The window is generally sound, although all but one of the panels has lost some glass panes. It is also extremely dirty and has pollution damage from the time when it was in its original setting. Homerton Hospital has been so thrilled by this discovery that they plan to restore the window and make it a focal point in a new £11.2 million Neo-Natal Unit extension which is due to be built over the next 2-3 years. The extension will include 3 special family suites, which will make life more comfortable for the families of critically ill babies or those receiving long-term care – while the extension is being paid for by the NHS, the family suites are seen as an “extra” and the £117,000 cost has been raised by the Homerton Hospital Charitable Fund. A complete cleaning and restoration of the window is estimated to cost £4,932. The Trust has offered a grant of £2,500 towards this.