Atkinson Morley Hospital , Copse Hill

Area	Wimbledon Village
Picture Reference	Wim_35_3-10
Original Format	Postcard
Notes / History	When Mr Atkinson Morley died in 1858 he bequeathed money to several hospitals and also to the setting up the Atkinson Morley Widows’ Fund and the residue was to be invested for 5 years and then used to build and maintain a convalescent hospital associated with St George’s Hospital. The hospital contained a chapel, two dining rooms, pantry, larder, kitchen and staff accommodations. The laundry was in a separate building and large enough to clean the bedding from both the Atkinson Morley and St George's Hospitals. Next to the laundry was a coach house where the coach used to transport both patients and laundry between the two hospitals was kept. The coach travelled between the 2 hospitals once a week on a Wednesday. In 1888 the coach was replaced with an omnibus that could transport 14 people. Water for the hospital and the laundry was obtained from an artesian well and the sewage was drained into a large reservoir in the lower grounds. This area was leased to a market gardener who used the swage as fertilizer. The tower, housed a large water tank, could be accessed by a steep staircase.