The History
Prior to the early 1800s there were no general or voluntary hospitals in Essex. There had been a military hospital at the barracks in the heart of Colchester which had housed up to 500 soldiers who were injured or sick, but this closed following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The War Office decided to sell off the barracks as lots, and so funds were raised by a small group of townsmen including the founder of the hospital, the Revd. Archdeacon Joseph Jefferson, to purchase the South Wing of the Military Hospital on August 12th 1818.
The plan to establish the Essex and Colchester Hospital was launched at an inaugural meeting on November 12th 1818 with the declaration that
“A humane and useful an Establishment be submitted and strongly recommended to the Public as a General Infirmary for the Poor”
Additional suitable land was later purchased in June 1819, and building work commenced with the foundation stone being laid June 18th 1819. The hospital, initially called the Essex and Colchester Hospital, formally opened its doors on September 14th 1820 with the first inpatients admitted a week later on September 21st. By the end of January 1822, the hospital had admitted its 200th inpatient, the majority of whom came from Colchester or from within a 15 mile radius of the town.
In 1907 the hospital became the Essex County Hospital, a name it retains today.
In recent years some of the functions of Essex County Hospital have moved to the newer facilities at the Colchester General Hospital which opened in 1984, and the old hospital has slowly closed department by department.
Essex County Hospital has been an important part of the Colchester landscape and of the town’s history. It is an institution which is held in great affection by many of those who worked or were treated there, and work is underway to preserve as much of the history of the hospital as possible before its doors close for the last time.
Many of the original features of the hospital remain in place, and staff and postgraduate students from the University are documenting and photographing these original features which would otherwise be lost. Catalogues of old records and photographs are also being created which will be made available.
The site is being sold and it is due to be redeveloped.
The Explore
Fuuuck me this ones been a long time coming
Essex County was one of the first places I ever looked at back in 2014, Rumours in the local press that it was closing sparked my interest so I popped over and had a look.
Meh!
Parts of it looked a little run down but it still appeared to be functional
So 2015 came and went, more rumours….
Meh!
2016, 2017 and finally 2018 and it’s finally closed.
However most of it has already been stripped.
Bollocks
Yup, no mortuary sadly stripped and converted many years ago.
The two building to the left and right aren’t worth a look in if I’m honest.
The upper wards, yup stripped and used for storage.
Here’s a few pics for many years of visits and sneaking about lol
Starting on the top floor and working my way down this is what I’ve spotted over the years
Prior to the early 1800s there were no general or voluntary hospitals in Essex. There had been a military hospital at the barracks in the heart of Colchester which had housed up to 500 soldiers who were injured or sick, but this closed following the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The War Office decided to sell off the barracks as lots, and so funds were raised by a small group of townsmen including the founder of the hospital, the Revd. Archdeacon Joseph Jefferson, to purchase the South Wing of the Military Hospital on August 12th 1818.
The plan to establish the Essex and Colchester Hospital was launched at an inaugural meeting on November 12th 1818 with the declaration that
“A humane and useful an Establishment be submitted and strongly recommended to the Public as a General Infirmary for the Poor”
Additional suitable land was later purchased in June 1819, and building work commenced with the foundation stone being laid June 18th 1819. The hospital, initially called the Essex and Colchester Hospital, formally opened its doors on September 14th 1820 with the first inpatients admitted a week later on September 21st. By the end of January 1822, the hospital had admitted its 200th inpatient, the majority of whom came from Colchester or from within a 15 mile radius of the town.
In 1907 the hospital became the Essex County Hospital, a name it retains today.
In recent years some of the functions of Essex County Hospital have moved to the newer facilities at the Colchester General Hospital which opened in 1984, and the old hospital has slowly closed department by department.
Essex County Hospital has been an important part of the Colchester landscape and of the town’s history. It is an institution which is held in great affection by many of those who worked or were treated there, and work is underway to preserve as much of the history of the hospital as possible before its doors close for the last time.
Many of the original features of the hospital remain in place, and staff and postgraduate students from the University are documenting and photographing these original features which would otherwise be lost. Catalogues of old records and photographs are also being created which will be made available.
The site is being sold and it is due to be redeveloped.
The Explore
Fuuuck me this ones been a long time coming
Essex County was one of the first places I ever looked at back in 2014, Rumours in the local press that it was closing sparked my interest so I popped over and had a look.
Meh!
Parts of it looked a little run down but it still appeared to be functional
So 2015 came and went, more rumours….
Meh!
2016, 2017 and finally 2018 and it’s finally closed.
However most of it has already been stripped.
Bollocks
Yup, no mortuary sadly stripped and converted many years ago.
The two building to the left and right aren’t worth a look in if I’m honest.
The upper wards, yup stripped and used for storage.
Here’s a few pics for many years of visits and sneaking about lol
Starting on the top floor and working my way down this is what I’ve spotted over the years
