Original Block Of Former St Mark'S Hospital

The original block of the former St Mark's Hospital was built between 1852 and 1854 by John Wallen and raised in 1895-96 by Rowland Plumbe. It is a rare, early surviving example of a specialist hospital, notable as the first in England dedicated to the treatment of rectal diseases. The building's design deliberately incorporates a domestic character to its principal elevation, which is considered a distinguished composition.

The original block is constructed of red brick with a rusticated stone ground floor, basement, bands, quoins, and a cornice. It has a slate roof with tall end stacks. The building is five bays wide and nine bays deep, originally planned symmetrically with male and female segregation, and comprises three storeys, a basement, and an attic. The facade is symmetrical, featuring rusticated detailing to the ground floor basement and quoins which extend into the attic above a heavy, projecting modillion cornice. Windows are traditional sash windows with small, regular glazing panes. Ground-floor windows have round heads, while those on the principal upper floors are set within architraves. The central attic window has a pediment and quoins. Above a late 20th-century entrance with fanlight and voussoirs in a projecting porch, the first-floor band across the elevation is inscribed with ‘ST MARKS HOSPITAL FOR FISTULA &C’. The detailing of the quoins, cornice, and architraves is continued for two bays of the side elevation, with the remaining seven bays having simplified detailing with bands at the first-floor and attic levels.

The interior is simply decorated. A dominant feature is a central staircase with a cast-iron balustrade to the two lower flights and a simpler wrought-iron balustrade to the upper flight. Small wards are arranged around the staircase, designed to limit the spread of contagious diseases. Later lifts were installed at the rear of the staircase without significantly altering the original plan. On the ground floor, a rear ward has a heavy dentilled cornice. A large bay dating from the 1920s, which is not of special interest, was adapted for use as a canteen. The forecourt includes stone piers to low walls, as shown in the original 1852 elevation. Taller, but similar, gate piers are located at the street entrance.

The rear block and 20th-century additions to the hospital are not of special interest. The original block survives with little alteration.