New life planned for art deco hospital

Developer TT Group has secured planning approval for a residential-led redevelopment of the former Ravenscourt Park Hospital in Hammersmith, which has been vacant for nearly two decades.

Designed by London architecture studio SPPARC, the plans will repurpose the Grade II* listed landmark into 140 new homes, a 65-bed care home and community use spaces.

On its opening in 1933, the Royal Masonic Hospital, as it was originally called, was Europe’s largest independent acute hospital. Set up to the provide low-cost treatment for freemasons and their families, the 260-bed facility operated independently for more than 60 years before financial pressures led to its closure in 1994.

It re-opened as an NHS hospital in 2002 as Ravenscourt Park Hospital but shut again in 2006. It has since entered Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register. TT Group acquired the four-acre site in 2022.

TT Group’s scheme prioritises the distinctive art deco hospital’s conservation. The four Grade II* listed red-brick hospital blocks, which will all be brought back into use, are notable for their geometric style, minimal ornamentation and flat roofs, which earned them RIBA’s Gold Medal Building of the Year Award in 1933.

Under plans consented by Hammersmith & Fulham Council, TT Group will turn the hospital’s former wards and treatment blocks into flats ranging from studio apartments to large family offerings, alongside amenity spaces such as workspace, lounge areas and private gardens. The administrative building that once served as the hospital’s entrance will have spaces available for hire for community uses.

The proposals retain and refurbish the former hospital’s art deco features, including welded steel semi-circular sun balconies, considered some of the inter-war period’s most lavish interiors, and two original Greek-inspired statues that flank either side of the main entrance.

A 1970s addition to the site will be replaced with a purpose-built specialist elderly care home and further residential units.

James Bradbury, senior development manager at TT Group, said: “Our newly consented plans for the redundant site prioritise the heritage building’s restoration and revival, bringing all the Grade II* listed hospital wards and treatment blocks back into use. Through sympathetic conversion to new housing and a care home, and by opening up part of the grounds for the first time, the project ensures this London landmark can be enjoyed for generations to come while contributing to the local area.”

SPPARC principal Trevor Morriss said: “As one of Britain’s very first examples of the international modernist movement, this landmark of inter-war design is deserving of a new use that honours both its historic and architectural significance. With every aspect of the masterplan designed to respect and pay tribute to the original art deco design, the planning consent will ensure that the former hospital can once again return to meaningful use that puts an end to nearly 20 years of vacancy.”

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