Henry Currey FRIBA (1820–1900): leading Victorian hospital architect, and early exponent of the “pavilion principle”
- Correspondence to: Dr G C Cook, Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL, 183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE, UK; g.cook{at}ucl.ac.uk
- Received 3 December 2001
- Accepted 20 February 2002
Abstract
The “pavilion plan” for hospital design originated in France in the 18th century and was popularised in England by John Roberton and George Godwin in the mid-19th century; the underlying rationale was that with improved ventilation the mortality rate (at that time exceedingly high) was significantly reduced. Among the enthusiasts for this new style, was Florence Nightingale (herself a miasmatist)—who had experienced astronomically high death rates in the hospital at Scutari during the Crimean War (1854–6). One of the leading exponents of this style of hospital architecture was Henry Currey (1820–1900) whose greatest achievement was undoubtedly the design for the new St Thomas's Hospital on the Lambeth Palace Road.
