Our history

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has existed since 1994, but its origins date back over 250 years and lie in the history of various individual hospitals, some of which now form part of the Trust and some of which have since closed down. On these pages you can learn all about these hospitals. You can also find out about the collections of archives and artefacts at UCL Hospitals, which provide a unique glimpse into the past.

The archives, dating back to 1747, are made up of the records of the some of the hospitals that currently or have in the past been part of the Trust:

• The Middlesex Hospital
• The Hospital for Women, Soho
• St Peter’s Group
• The Eastman Dental Hospital
• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
• The National Temperance Hospital.

The archives also include records and artefacts relating to nursing both at The Middlesex and University College Hospitals.

The catalogues of some of the hospitals above are available via The National Archives catalogue (Discovery).

Records are not held of the following hospitals, which are available elsewhere:

• University College Hospital and UCH Medical School (held by University College London Special Collections Department).
• The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital (held by the London Metropolitan Archives).
• The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (held by the NHNN).
• The Heart Hospital (held by the London Metropolitan Archives).
• The Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (held by the London Metropolitan Archives).

The history of the hospitals

• Information on the history of the hospitals is contained in the timeline.

The archives and search room are located at 250 Euston Road. 

Enquiries

The Archivist is happy to answer basic enquiries on behalf of researchers.  Lengthy enquiries cannot be answered by telephone and researchers should make an appointment to visit the archives in person or send someone on their behalf.

No charge is made for answering enquiries but if you would like to make a donation to support the continuing preservation and promotion of the archives it would be gratefully received. 

There is a charge for copies of records and the commercial use of the Trust’s collections. 

Please pay electronically quoting reference 0886

The bank details are:
Bank name: Coutts & Co, 440 Strand, London WC2R 0QS
Account name: University College London Hospitals Charity
Account no. 08324530
Sort code 18-00-02
IBAN GB40COUT18000208324530
IBAN BIC (Swift code) COUTGB22

Alternatively you can pay by cheque: please make cheques payable to UCLH Archive Fund - 0886.

You can use a Gift Aid form, which enables us to claim tax back on your donation if you pay income or capital gains tax.