Clapham Hospital

The hospital on a map of 1926

Sadly Bedfordshire Archive and Record Service has very little information on Clapham Hospital. Judging by Ordnance Survey maps it was built between 1901 and 1926. The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 specified that every building and piece of land in the country was to be assessed to determine its rateable value. The valuer visiting the hospital [DV1/C107/3] found it owned and run by Bedford Rural District Council.

It was an isolation hospital, designed to care for patients with infectious diseases, whose isolation from the community would halt the spread of the disease. The buildings stood in 3.94 acres. An Administrative Block housed a matron, six nurses and five servants. There were seventeen scarlet fever beds and two cots with an additional eight on the veranda. There were 24 diphtheria beds plus three cots. There were also 32 military beds in a military hut. The military beds were, presumably, for soldiers with infectious diseases from Kempston Barracks where any such infection would likely spread very quickly.

Later amendments have ten scarlet fever beds, two verandas with six beds each, fourteen beds for diphtheria, 20 military beds and eight cubicles - a total complement of 64 patient beds.

The hospital closed in 1991 but is still owned by the National Health service. It is now Twinwoods Health Resource Centre and includes a health facilitation service for people with learning difficulties, a community mental health team and an adult autism service.