ÿþ<HTML LANG=en-GB> <HEAD> <TITLE>The Derelict Miscellany :: Dorking General Hospital</TITLE> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="dorking, hospital, derelict, general, nurses', home, wards, nook, charles grant blairfindie allen, fire, demolished"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="Disused nurses' residences on an operational hospital campus including the badly fire damaged former home of the late 19th Century intellectual C.G.B. Allen."> <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="ALL"> <link rel="icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> </head> <body link="#668b8b" bgcolor="darkgray" text="000000" vlink="#668b8b"> <center> <table width=1044> <tr><td> <table width=1044 cellspacing=0> <tr background="gam_print_ordsvywat-sun-171278517207606.jpg"> <td background="gam_print_ordsvywat-sun-171278517207606.jpg" align=right><A HREF="index.html"><img src=1.jpg border=0></a></td><td background="gam_print_ordsvywat-sun-171278517207606.jpg" align=center> <A indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" HREF="index.html"><h1>T H E &nbsp D E R E L I C T &nbsp M I S C E L L A N Y</H1></A> R e f l e c t i o n s &nbsp o n &nbsp f o r g o t t e n &nbsp a n d &nbsp a b a n d o n e d &nbsp s p a c e s <br><br> </td><td background="gam_print_ordsvywat-sun-171278517207606.jpg" align=left><A HREF="index.html"><img src=2.jpg border=0></a></td></tr></table> </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#EEE9E9"> <center> <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="http://derelictmisc.org.uk/index.html">{home} </a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="http://derelictmisc.org.uk/menu2.html">{menu} </a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="aboot.html">{about} </a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="cont.html">{contact} </a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none"href="http://twitter.com/DerelictMisc" target="blank">{twitter}</a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="disc.html">{disclaimer}</a> &nbsp &nbsp <a href="#" STYLE="text-decoration: none" onClick="window.open('veh/index.html','', 'width=589,height=577,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,status=no,toolbar=no,menubar=no');return false;"> {rusty old cars}</A> &nbsp &nbsp <a href="#" STYLE="text-decoration: none" onClick="window.open('misc/menu.html','', 'width=870,height=482,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,status=no,toolbar=no,menubar=no');return false;"> {miscellany}</A> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="links.html">{links}</a> &nbsp &nbsp <a indepth="true" STYLE="text-decoration: none" href="contrib.html">{contribute} </a> </td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=#EEE9E9><table width=100% bgcolor="#EEE9E9"> <td width=13></td><td> <center> <br><font size=5><u>Dorking General Hospital</u></font> </center> <b>What:</B> General hospital staff buildings <BR> <b>Where:</B> Dorking, Surrey <BR> <b>Built:</b> Workhouse 1840, The Nook c. 1880s, Infirmary 1897, nurses' block, c. 1950s <BR> <b>Architect:</b> Workhouse by William Shearburn, infirmary (demolished 1980s) by H. Percy Adams, other buildings unknown. <BR> <b>Abandoned:</b> Unknown <BR> <b>Listed:</b> Workhouse western façade only, grade II <BR><b>Visited:</b> 2005<BR> <b>Last Known Condition:</b> The Nook and Nurses' blocks demolished in 2006 and replaced by sheltered flats, workhouse block remains as day nursery.<br> <b>Page Updated:</b> February 2011<BR> <br>Construction of the Dorking Union workhouse was begun in 1840 to the design of Dorking architect and builder William Shearburn (also responsible for the Dorking United Reformed church) and was completed within a year. The Union Workhouse was built in an H shape and at it's peak accommodated 250 inmates. a chapel was added in the late 19th C. and in 1898, an infirmary was constructed to the plans of H Percy Adams at a cost of £7,366 his design having been chosen in a competition of 1897. This comprised two 16-bed general wards, two 6-bed wards for 'dirty cases', a labour room, a 3-bed 'lying-in' ward, a 4-bed children's ward, two 2-bed acute wards, and two single-bed wards. <br> <br> <center> <img alt="These Blue gates were once the main entrance." height=235 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/blugate.jpg" border=1> <img alt="A very attractive building as workhouses go." height=235 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/unionworkhouse.jpg" border=1> <img alt="The back of the Workhouse building." height=235 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/oldblock2.jpg" border=1> <br>Left to Right: Entrance gate, Horsham Road in fetching NHS blue; front of workhouse block; back of workhouse block <br><br> </center> In 1930, Dorking Workhouse became the Dorking Public Assistance Institution, then later the Dorking County Hospital. It became Dorking General Hospital under National Health Service governance in 1948, presumably after which the hospital added to its grounds a house called The Nook and a purpose built accommodation block. The workhouse building was remodelled (half demolished) in the 1990s and The Nook and the other accommodation block are presumed to have gone out of use sometime after this and became derelict, remaining in a state of decay until both were demolished in 2006-7. A 1980s block on the north of the site now houses the main hospital and no staff are now resident on site. What remains of the Workhouse block now houses a day nursery<br><br> What follows is an account of the derelict buildings on site as they were in 2005: <br> The most obvious redundant building here is a three storey building formerly used as accommodation for nurses and more recently as offices and a welfare centre. An adjoining building was still in use as the Dene Daycare Centre in 2005 but this complex is now believed to have been demolished.<br> <br> <center> <img alt="..." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/eastblock.jpg" border=1> <img alt="A corner that obviously looked better than the rest." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/corner.jpg" border=1> <img alt="South elevation." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/southhosp.jpg" border=1> <br>Left to Right: Front of the block; a corner; back of block <br><br> <img alt="A lockup cupboard and stray chair." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/lockup.jpg" border=1> <img alt="Along the west façade to the social centre." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/dang.jpg" border=1> <img alt="The nurses' social centre." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/nursesblock.jpg" border=1> <br>Left to Right: Lockup and stray chair; looking towards the staff social centre; social centre <br><br> <img alt="The Social centre roof." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/ontheroof.jpg" border=1> <img alt="The terrifyingly unstable rooftop, for once the 'dangerous structure do not enter' signs are well placed." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/dangerous.jpg" border=1> <img alt="." height=220 src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/Derelict_horsham/roofcollap.jpg" border=1> <br>Above: Social centre damaged roof <br><br> </center> <center> <br> <A HREF="hosp2.html"><B>NEXT</B></font></A> <br><br> <a href="index.html">Home..</a></b><br> </td><td width=13></td></tr></table> </TD></TR><TR><TD bgcolor="#EEE9E9" ALIGN=CENTER> <font size=1>Derelict Miscellany. Website &amp; content Copyright D. A. Gregory 2005-Present unless stated to be otherwise.</font> </td></tr></table> </font> </body> </html>