Medical dates:

Medical character:

At the beginning of the 20th century children's hospitals  still did not offer staff appointments to qualified women doctors.  In order that women doctors could gain clinical experience in paediatrics, Drs Louise Garrett Anderson and Flora Murray established their own children's hospital in Harrow Road.

The Women's Hospital for Children opened early in 1912 to provide healthcare for the local working class children.  Both Dr Garrett Anderson and Murray were members of the Women's Social and Political Union, and adopted the Union's slogan Deeds not Words as the Hospital's motto.

By 1914 the Hospital had 4 beds, 2 cots and a bassinette in a private house, where rooms had been adapted to form a ward.  The nursing staff worked in three shifts of 9 hours each so that no-one was overworked.  A great number of children attended the Out-Patients Department, which was always busy as the neighbourhood was both populous and poor.

During WW1 Drs Garrett Anderson and Murray ran the Endell Street Military Hospital, while their female colleagues continued to run the Harrow Road site.  Both returned to continue their work after the war had ended.

The Hospital was forced to close in 1922 because of lack of funds.  During the decade it had been operational, over half a million children had received treatment.

Present status (May 2008)

The site of the Hospital has been completely erased by a massive housing development facing away from Harrow Road.