The X-Ray Department, Formerly The Underground Hospital, Erith And District Hospital

The X-Ray Department, formerly the Underground Hospital, was built in 1938 by Erith Borough Council and opened in 1939 as a Civilian Field Hospital/Casualty Station in preparation for war. It was staffed by permanent personnel and volunteers throughout the Second World War. In 1950, the building was converted into an X-Ray department with the addition of partition walls and air conditioning.

The building is a semi-underground structure constructed of shuttered concrete designed to be bomb-proof. It has a roughly rectangular shape with a curved roof thickly covered in earth and grass for camouflage. The long sides have four reinforced metal casement windows with horizontal glazing bars, set at a high level. The current main entrance is centrally located on the north front, accessed by a ramp with four small windows and a door marked "X RAY DEPT." Originally, entrances were situated at each end, accessed by ramps and doors suitable for stretchers and trolleys, with separate entrances for men and women. The east side has five doors, the west side four doors, and a double wooden door.

The interior features brick dividing walls, likely serving as both load-bearing and blast walls, along with flush-panelled doors. The building is divided into numerous rooms with a similar layout at each end, creating separate departments for men and women. An open drainage gully runs along the outside wall, intended to remove water after patients were hosed down in the event of a mustard gas attack. Some wooden storage lockers remain in the side walls, and an original stone sink is located at the rear of the new X-Ray room.

The Underground Hospital was constructed as part of the Emergency Medical Service established by the Ministry of Health to address the expected large number of casualties from enemy bombing. While others were planned, this is the only one known to survive, aside from military installations at Dover Castle and a German-built hospital in Jersey.