St Margaret’s Hospital in Epping has been a place of help for the sick for more than 100years, in fact, over the decades it has been a safe haven for the poor and displaced in the district.

This week, reporter Zoie O'Brien looks at the history of the longstanding hospital.

In 1838 the Epping Union opened its first purpose built workhouse for the poorest people in the district.

The £8,000 facility built on the outskirts of the town of Epping housed 200-300 residents.

Although the purpose of the building was originally to help the poor, outbreaks of typhus and small pox resulted in dozens of people needing medical treatment at once.

Liz Jones, Chairman of the League of Friends for St Margaret’s Hospital said that it was for this reason, the infirmary was necessary.

She said: “Before the hospital there had been relief for the poor since the time of Elizabeth.

“The workhouse was built in The Plain which was actually called Chelmsford Turnpike Road, after the Poor Law Amendment Act.

“It is interesting because there are still one or two pockets of the old workhouse left in the buildings round the back of the hospital, but most of it has been pulled down.

“Two hundred or three hundred porpers came from Epping, Harlow and Chigwell.

“There was a master and matron who ran the workhouse.”
In 1846 the first infirmary was built on the site in The Plain. It was a two storey building which was used for only 30 years before a second, improved infirmary was built to the south of the workhouse.

Mrs Jones added: “By 1864 there was proper nursing and medical care on the site. It was because people on the site were sick, they had to keep on providing medical care and it just took over.”

By 1880 a major remodelling project was underway with a dining room and chapel being built.

However, it was when the First World War began that the hospital really changed.

Between 1917 and 1919 the Army council requisitioned the site as an emergency military site.

Mrs Jones who has studied the history of the hospital says that they were expecting “half a million casualties” from the East end docks.

In 1938 the hospital was first named as “St Margaret’s Hospital” after one of the Board of Guardians Miss Margaret Mathieson.

The hospital was once again used as an Emergency Medical service base in the Second World War and facilities were upgraded. Hutted wards were built and a nurses’ annexe was erected.

In March1945 the water tower in Fairfield Road was hit by a V2 rocket and seven men from the hospital were killed.

The hospital joined the NHS in 1948 the EMS hut was taken over by outpatient and casualty departments in 1950.

When the Debden estate was built the hospital came under pressure as Harlow residents were also using the facilities.

The hospital was still looking after 60 non-sick elderly people following an agreement with the county council.

In 1991 the hospital was taken over by the West Essex primary Care Trust and finally in 2001 the main workhouse building was finally demolished.

Today St Margaret’s is a ‘community hospital’ which has three wards and is still supported by the League of Friends which started to raise money in 1949.

Anyone who wishes to help the League of Friends raise funds for St Margaret’s can contact Mrs Jones on 01992 572 979.