This website is devoted to the history of Dartford’s hospitals. I have always been interested in history and my interest in the hospitals came as I was working in the library at Joyce Green; the hospital was due to close and there was a huge amass of archive material collected by Dr John Burne. As I sorted through the collection I made notes, took a few photocopies and eventually had enough material to write my first book ‘A History of the Darenth Hospitals’ which covered the smallpox camps, the Southern, Darenth Park and the Mabledon (this book is out of print now but may be available as a download later). I then wrote ‘Joyce Green and the River Hospitals’, covering the hospital ships, Long Reach, the Orchard and Joyce Green. My latest book ‘Stone House: the City of London Asylum’ was written after the Trust contacted me and asked me to write their history.
This is the website: http://dartfordhospitalhistories.org.uk/