Whipps Cross University Hospital

Story

Whipps Cross University Hospital is an NHS-run university hospital in Whipps Cross, Waltham Forest, London, United Kingdom which housed London's first hyperbaric unit.The hospital has one of the largest and busiest A&E departments in the UK and serves a diverse community from Chigwell to Leyton. The chief executive of the hospital is Catherine Geedes.Whipps Cross is part of Barts Health NHS Trust.The closest stations are Leytonstone tube station on the London Underground's Central line and Wood Street railway station on National Rail's Chingford Branch Line. There are several buses that connect the hospital to Leytonstone station.HistoryIn 1889 the West Ham Board of Guardians purchased Forest House with of grounds at Whipps Cross in Leytonstone, with the intention of building a workhouse. Construction of an infirmary started in 1900 and was completed in 1903. Designed by Francis Sturdy, the former main entrance is in the style of a northern Renaissance town hall. When it opened the infirmary provided 672 beds in 24 wards in four awe-inspiring symmetrical blocks with tiered covered walkways and two massive towers. The buildings cost £186,000 to construct, which was criticised as extravagant.