Medical dates:

Medical character:

In 1951 the National Corporation for the Care of Old People purchased Warren House from Sir John Fitzgerald.  The 90-room, 3-storey mansion stood in 11 acres of grounds.

The property was converted into an old people's home, opening in 1952.  It was furnished from the £1m  'Gift to Britain Fund', given by the South African government in 1946 to commemorate the South African troops killed during WW2 (1939-1945).

 The mansion was renamed Springbok House to reflect its status as a war memorial.

In 1960 the Home received patients from the geriatric ward of the West Middlesex Hospital.

In 1964 management of the Home was transferred to the Hendon Group Hospital Management Committee.

In 1971, when it had 53 beds, the Home became a geriatric sub-unit (together with Orme Lodge) of Edgware General Hospital.

It closed in 1978.

Present status (September 2010)

The property stood empty and became derelict, due to repeated arson attacks.  It was sold in 1984 and restored and converted into an Islamic training centre.  

The Husseini Islamic Centre opened in 1987.