2015

TQ3278 : The former Walworth Clinic may find another use, Walworth Road, Walworth, London

taken 9 years ago, near to Bermondsey, Southwark, England

The former Walworth Clinic may find another use, Walworth Road, Walworth, London
The former Walworth Clinic may find another use, Walworth Road, Walworth, London
The admirable Walworth Clinic, a pioneering borough health centre that opened in 1937, continues to seek a new use following closure. Signs say 'To Let' and 'Under Offer'. It is Grade II listed. More photos at Link Change is also in the air at neighbouring Newington Library and Walworth Town Hall: see TQ3278 : Change in Walworth Road, Walworth, London.
Walworth Clinic, Walworth Road, London SE17

The former Public Health Centre at Southwark was one of a series of pioneering health centres built at the end of the 1930s, in advance of the 1946 National Health Services Act which made their construction a duty of health authorities. Its foundation stone was laid on 11 July 1936 and the building opened on 25 September 1937.

A plaque on the building's facade bears a powerful quotation translated from Cicero: “The health of the people is the highest law”. The new building brought all the borough's health services under one roof, prefiguring the integrated, cradle-to-grave ethos of the 1948 NHS. The sculptural group that crowns the facade is a striking emblem of the centre's focus on mothers and children in what was a deprived part of London in the interwar years.

The design, by the Borough Engineer Percy Smart, is admired for its external massing, jazzy, Deco-style detailing and good quality materials and craftsmanship. The rear part of the building appears now to be a training centre for jobseekers. The building appears in front of Newington Library in Stephen McKay’s long view TQ3278 : Walworth Road, Walworth.

The Walworth Clinic is listed Grade II; English Heritage has a full and interesting history and description at:
LinkExternal link
This shared description is largely composed of extracts from it.

Original author: Robin Stott, 7 February 2015


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Robin Stott and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Public buildings and spaces City, Town centre Derelict, Disused Health and social services Flat landscapes Place: London Area: Walworth Former: Clinic Style: Art Deco other tags: Postcode Area SE17 Former Health Centre Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Walworth Road [99] · Listed Grade [16] · Health Clinic [10] · Town Hall [5] ·
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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Grid Square
TQ3278, 502 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Robin Stott   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 21 September, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 23 September, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 3222 7856 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:29.4321N 0:5.8156W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TQ 3220 7853
View Direction
North-northeast (about 22 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Geograph
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