Rochford Hospital Boiler House (EHER 26404)

The boiler house at Rochford Hospital dates from around 1935 and was completed by 1945-6. It was designed by F W Smith and the design shows the clear influence of Scandinavian Modernism, and in particular the work of J G Asplund. This building forms a group with the Administration and Johnson Blocks (EHER 26402) to the south.

Boiler house c.1935. <1> Boiler house. Dating from around 1935, completed by 1945-6. Designed by F W Smith. Brick in English bond, with many metal-flamed windows of original design.Flat roofs.Single-storey ancillary buildings on rectangular and square plans cluster about the foot of tall boiler house which is articulated by three tiers of differently sized windows: 5-window range to long elevations and 1-window range to returns. Low, plinth-like structure to roof serving as 'base' for cylindrical stack. The design shows the clear influence of Scandinavian Modernism, and in particular the work of J G Asplund. Forms a group with the Administration and Johnson Blocks (EHER 26402) to the south. <2> 1990s. Building survey. A large imposing power house (EHER 26404) stands to the rear of the hospital and dominates the surrounding landscape. The large rectangular section five-storey tower with central stack, is flanked by single- and two-storey ranges containing a boiler room, generator room, tank room, calorifiers and engineers workshops. The interior of the water tower is lit by five large attenuated windows, with smaller apertures above that are built into its eastern and western elevations up to the third-floor. <3>