St Marylebone Institutions
St Marylebone Infirmary for the Sick Poor
Workhouses had their own infirmaries often run by untrained, slatternly staff. Patient numbers soared and so new, purpose-built hospitals opened, staffed by efficient and professional nurses inspired by the formidable Florence Nightingale.
The building began on the infirmary at Rackham Street on the 7th July 1879 to accommodate 744 sick poor. This was largely to free up space at the workhouse. It was designed by Henry Saxon Snell, who received a letter of congratulation from Florence Nightingale.