Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is, with St Thomas' Hospital and King's College Hospital, the location of King's College London School of Medicine (formerly known as the GKT School of Medicine). The Tower Wing (formerly known as Guy's Tower) was the tallest hospital building in the world, standing at 142.6m, with 34 floors until 2008.
The hospital was founded in 1721 by Thomas Guy (1644/45–27 December 1724), a publisher of unlicensed Bibles who had made a fortune in the South Sea Bubble. It was originally established as a hospital to treat "incurables" discharged from St Thomas' Hospital. Guy had been a Governor and benefactor of St Thomas' and his fellow Governors supported his intention by granting the south-side of St Thomas' Street for a peppercorn for 999 years. Guy is interred in the crypt of the Chapel of his foundation.
Guy's has expanded over the centuries. The original buildings formed a courtyard facing St Thomas Street, comprising the hall on the east side and the Chapel, Matron's House and Surgeon's House on the west-side. Two inner quadrangles were divided by a cloister which was later restyled and dedicated to the hospital's members who fell in World War I. The east side comprised the care wards and the 'counting house' with the governors 'Burfoot Court Room'. The north-side quadrangle is dominated by a statue of Lord Nuffield who was the chairman of governors for many years and also a major benefactor. These original parts of the hospital are now administrative and social accommodation.
Despite substantial bomb damage during World War II, the original 18th century chapel remains intact including the tomb of Thomas Guy with a marble sculpture by John Bacon.
A bequest of £200,000 by William Hunt in 1829, one of the largest charitable bequests in England in historic terms, allowed for a further hundred beds to be accommodated. Hunt's name was given to the southern expansion of the hospital buildings. These were replaced c.2000 by new academic buildings for King's College, known as New Hunt's House.
In 1974, the hospital added the 34 storey Guy's Tower. At 143 metres (469 ft) high, this is the third tallest hospital building in the world, and the 14th tallest building in London. It was designed by Watkins Gray. Guy's Tower is divided into two sections of which the top floors (floors 18-30) represent the dental school, where students of King's College London Dental School study and practice, and the lower floors (Ground-18) represent the medical departments.
Over 13,200 staff work in Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. They are two of the oldest teaching hospitals, and they are situated right in the heart of the capital. One of the services that the trust provides is dental care, looking after over 120,000 patients a year.
The Tower Wing (formerly Guy's Tower) was completed in 1974 and stands more than 142 metres high, The tower was the tallest hospital building in the world and it was the tallest building built in London during the 1970s. It has since been replaced as the tallest hospital building in the world by the Phase 3 Building of the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley, Hong Kong in 2008. Guy's Tower is located next to The Shard, the United Kingdom's tallest building. It is a prominent example of Brutalist architecture, which was common at the time it was built. The top of the tower is a lecture room. The tower was renovated and the exterior re-clad and painted in 2013.