IMPORTANT: If you visit, please be cautious of the security guards at the entrance who do not allow photographs of the front of the building, for fear of capturing patients and families. The rules for photography from public areas are different in the UK than in the US.
A photo of the sign by itself is acceptable for a visit.
The hospital is located in Westminster, in the block bounded by Grove End Road, Wellington Road, Circus Road.
The Hospital of St Elizabeth was founded in 1856 by Catholic Cardinal Wiseman and operated by the Sisters of Mercy. In 1861 the hospital affiliated with the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, and the name was changed to the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth. That affiliation continues to this day.
From the EXCELLENT and endlessly interesting Lost Hospitals of London blog: (
visit link)
"Hospital of
St John and St Elizabeth
60 Grove End Road, St Johns Wood, NW8 9NH
Medical dates:
1856 - current
Medical character:
General
The Hospital of St Elizabeth opened on 19th November 1856, the Feast Day of St Elizabeth of Hungary, under whose patronage it was dedicated. It had been founded by Cardinal Wiseman and Dr Manning (later Cardinal) who placed it under the charge of the Sisters of Mercy, four of whom had recently returned from the Crimea where they had worked with Florence Nightingale. The Committee of Management included, among others, Cardinal Wiseman and the Duke of Norfolk).
The Hospital was located in a house at No. 47 Great Ormond Street, next door to the Children's Hospital. It had 20 beds and only women and children were admitted. The patients were often considered incurable and terminally ill, although many belied the notion and recovered, probably because of the advanced nursing techniques used by the Sisters. By December 1857 some 90 patients had been admitted, of whom 61 were cured or relieved and 9 had died (20 remained in hospital). Most patients suffered from consumption (TB), paralysis or chronic disease of the spine and joints.
In 1858 the number of beds was increased to 25.
In 1861 the Hospital became closely associated with the Sovereign Military Hospitalier Order of St John of Jerusalem. In 1862 Sir George Bowyer, a member of the Order, built a Convent and chapel dedicated to St John of Jerusalem adjacent to the Hospital, and also subscribed to the upkeep of the Hospital. Because of this, its name was changed to the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth.
Alterations were made to the Hospital building to make it more suitable for use as hospital premises. While this work was going on, the patients and the Community moved to a house in Brentford, returning when the work was completed in 1865.
The lack of funds in 1865 meant the closure of one ward. In March 1866 the Hospital Committee decided the whole Hospital had to close. The Sisters maintained themselves by selling garments they had sewn, knitted or crocheted.
When the Hospital reopened in November 1868, its entire management passed to the Sisters of Mercy, with Sister Mary Stanislaus Jones as the Superioress.
In 1897, in her Jubilee Year, Queen Victoria personally decorated four of the Sisters with the Royal Red Cross, some 40 years after the Crimean War (1853-1856).
By the end of the century the Hospital had become too small and plans were made to enlarge it. The Committee of Management of the neighbouring Children's Hospital were concerned that the new building would affect the light and air for its patients, and offered £30,000 for the property.
The Sisters of Mercy accepted the offer and a site for a purpose-built hospital was found in St Johns Wood. In 1898 the Sisters and patients moved from Great Ormond Street to Loudoun Hall, a large mansion on the site, which became the convent and the interim Hospital.
The foundation stone for the new Hospital was laid on 7th June 1899 by the Duke of Norfolk, and that for the chapel on the same day by Cardinal Vaughan. The domed chapel in Great Ormond Street was then dismantled brick by brick and reassembled at the St Johns Wood site.
The Hospital, which had cost £56,000 to build, was officially opened on 15th July 1901 by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Frederick Green. . . ."
For more on the modern operations of the hospital, which cares for patients without regard to ability to pay, see here: (
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"A Word Of Welcome From The Chairman Of The Board
Founded in 1856, the Hospital is one of the country’s largest independent charity Hospitals and the UK’s premier Catholic Hospital. We pride ourselves on the quality of our care, our range of services and the quality of our consultants and staff, who we believe to be the very best in their profession.
Although we provide acute private healthcare services, our charitable status is based on the fact that we utilise surplus funds to run St John’s Hospice, located within the grounds of the Hospital. This inpatient, day care and community facility provides care, without charge, to people living within our wide catchment area.
Both the Hospital and the Hospice take great pride in their heritage, and especially in the Catholic ethos upon on which they were founded which assures patients of a commitment to care and compassion in the delivery of their healthcare. The aim of both institutions is the same now as it was over 160 years ago — to provide the highest quality health care for all those who seek it.
Field Marshal the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, GCB LVO OBE DL,
– The Hospital Chairman"