Former West Ham Union Workhouse, Leyton, Greater London
A new West Ham Union workhouse was built in 1839-41 in Leyton. It was designed by Alfred Richard Mason and was based on a T-shaped main block. It had two courtyards for the use of male and female inmates. After the First World War, the site became known as the Central Home. In 1930 it was run by West Ham Borough Council as a home for the chronic sick, aged and infirm. In 1936 it had around 1,800 beds. In 1948 it became a geriatric hospital under the National Health Service and was renamed Langthorne Hospital. The site has since been redeveloped for residential use.
