New End Hospital was a hospital in Hampstead

Hampstead

Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...

, north London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. It was founded in 1800 as a poor house, and operated until 1986. The buildings have now been redeveloped as housing.

History

New End Hospital was founded in 1800 by the Hampstead Board of Guardians

Hampstead Board of Guardians

The Hampstead Board of Guardians was created in 1800. but from 1837 until 1848 it was absorbed into the Edmonton Union.The Hampstead Board of Guardians regained its independent status in 1848....

, originally as a poor house, and was rebuilt in 1845.

Until the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, New End Hospital's patients included the unemployed, homeless, and unmarried mothers, and their children. It also had an infirmary for the treatment of psychiatric patients. During the World War I New End Hospital was primarily used for the treatment of wounded and shell-shocked soldiers.

New End Hospital was taken over by the London County Council

London County Council

London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...

 in 1930, and became well known as a centre for endocrinology

Endocrinology

Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...

. The hospital remained in use until 1986, when it was sold, and the proceeds used to fund the redevelopment of Queen Mary's Maternity Home.

The former hospital mortuary is now the New End Theatre

New End Theatre

The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was a 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, England, located in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times....

. The mortuary was formerly linked to the hospital across the road by a tunnel

Tunnel

A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...

.