Maudsley Hospital Administration Block

SOUTHWARK

TQ3276 DENMARK HILL 636-1/11/280 (East side) Maudsley Hospital, Administration Block

GV II

Psychiatric hospital. Planned and designed between 1911, when the site was acquired, to 1923. Laid out by William Charles Clifford Smith, the engineer for the Asylums Board of the LCC. Smith was assisted by LC Gregory, who had consulted with Henry Maudsley, the noted pioneer of psychiatric hospitals, and Frederick Mott, who was appointed pathologist to the Asylums Board in 1895. MATERIALS: red Southwater brick in Flemish bond with Portland stone dressings. Hipped roofs of slate. PLAN: 23-window range, organised on a pavilioned plan with end and centre units. Main entrance in centre unit. 2 storeys over basement. 3-window range to all projecting pavilions. Main entrance of Portland stone, flat-arched with projecting cornice and architrave, flat-arched window to either side with similar surrounds having, in addition, a large rectangular block between lintel and cornice, perhaps originally intended for sculpture. Windows above are segmental-arched with eared and shouldered architraves. This centre treated as a 'distyle in antis' portico of the Tuscan order; in parapet above are cut the words "The Maudsley Hospital". All ground-floor windows in intermediate range flat-arched with flush stone surrounds and pediments consisting of raking cornice to centre lights only. The projecting end bays have segmental-arched windows on ground floor, with eared and shouldered architrave and keyed lintel; flat-arched windows above with similar surrounds; flush stone corner quoins. Remaining windows have plain stone lintels. End pavilions terminate in pediments pierced by one oval light each, the lights ornamented with palm fronds in stone. High-hipped roof above entrance range has a flat-arched dormer, a later insertion, and above a cupola, square in plan with rebated corners, and a pediment similar to those on the ground-floor windows to each face. Second entrance to right-hand end pavilion, set in architrave with projecting cornice. Fielded and corniced stacks to left return only and on 4th window range; ridge stacks on line with ends of centre pavilion. INTERIOR: not inspected.

Late C20 annexes to left and right returns and rear and attached railings enclosing a shallow porch to either side of entrance are not of interest and are not included. The hospital was the first and most influential example of its type and thus has great historical interest.

Listing NGR: TQ3266376145