Rochford Hospital Main Block, Comprising The Broom And Dowsett Wards

This is a hospital administration and ward block, built in 1938 and in full use by 1946-7. Designed by F W Smith, it is constructed of brick in English bond with flat roofs, and features a projecting cornice to the apsidal bays. The building has two storeys and is arranged on an east-west axis, dominated by four apsidal projections containing sun lounges, each with floor-to-ceiling glazing. Shallow rectangular bays are positioned between each outer pair of projections, also featuring floor-to-ceiling glazing and a glass parapet to the first-floor balcony. A flat-arched entrance in the centre leads to a shallow, rectangular entrance courtyard. Narrow wings extend northwards from the rear of the rectangular bays, framing a rectangular block which terminates in a hemicycle housing a cafeteria and kitchen. All windows are flat-arched. The amount of glazing has been reduced on the north elevations, where the architectural interest lies in the low, neatly designed and well-proportioned blocks, with the cafeteria block retaining extensive glazing and a clerestory to the hemicycle. The design emphasizes reduced geometric forms and walls of glass, reflecting the influence of International Modernism.