Description

TQ 4391
10/9

Woodford Bridge
Claybury Hospital

GII
Asylum.1888-1890,by G.T Hine.Built of red brick with stone dressings;gabled and hipped slate roofs and brick stacks.Echelon,or 'broad-V", plan:central east-west corridor with chapel flanked by medical superintendant's house and administration block to south and recreation hall to north;four ward blocks project from east and west ends of corridor,from which obtusely-angled corridors run north-east and north-west with projecting south facing wards;area enclosed by these corridors divided into four airing courts by north-south and east-west corridors with ward blocks;service area,including laundry and kitchen,to rear(north)of recreation hall and flanked by north-south corridors.Chapel of cruciform plan with six bay aisled nave and polygonal sanctuary end:two-light decorated windows to sanctuary,broached octagonal south east spire,three-light decorated windows to transepts,grouped lancets to aisles,three-light clerestory windows and three-light north window.Medical superintendant's house to east in Domestic Tudor style:of two storey, three window,range with moulded stone mullioned and transomed windows set in slightly projecting central bay,gabled bay to right and canted bay with pyramidal roof to left;central Tudor-arched doorway with pointed-arched overlights and flanking lancets with moulded architraves.Administration block to west in similar style with roofline broken by central gabled bay flanked by canted bays with pyramidal roofs.Recreation hall to rear of chapel has tall one storey;ten window range with buttresses dividing bays each with gauged brick semi-circular arches over stained-glass windows;tall Gothic-style tower to rear with upper stage framed by gablets over foiled panels,surmounted by corner pinnacles and pyramidal roof.Two storey corridors are joined to two to three storey ward blocks with square-headed and segmental-headed sash windows and canted bays surmounted by pyramidal roofs;pyramidal-roofed octagonal turrets at junction of corridors and north east and north west corners;pyramidal roof to broached octagonal water tower with pedimented doorway to north west;altered sixteen bay laundry block.Interior:chapel has engaged shafts with foliate capitals to sanctuary,five bay nave arcades with moulded capitals to stone piers and arch-braced open timber roof;engaged brick shafts to window jambs;two pointed-arched doorways with foliate capitals to engaged shafts at west end.Administration block has stained glass to front doors and flanking screen windows;lobby and hall has mosaic floors,glazed brick dados,pedimented glazed-tile architraves to doorways with Renaissance-style ornament,pointed-arched entry with foliate capitals to engaged marble shafts to hall which has similar style three bay arcade to side of open-well staircase with decorative wrought iron balustrade and good stained glass to stairlight.Recreation hall in elaborate Elizabethan style with Renaissance-style frieze to panelled dado,fine ribbed segmental-arched ceiling,proscenium arch with bust set in nowy-headed pediment flanked by obelisks surmounting coupled Corinthian columns, and gallery to west end.History: the major work of the specialist asylum architect,G T Hine,and the most important asylum built in England after 1875;the first asylum to successfully use the echelon plan,upon which all later asylums were based.

Listing NGR: TQ4336991363

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Claybury Hospital at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5130075

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)