Hackney disinfecting station at risk, group warns

An "extraordinary" Grade II listed Victorian site in east London that is thought to be the last remaining of its type in England is at risk of being lost for good, a conservation group has warned.

Hackney Borough Disinfecting Station, in Clapton, was purpose-built in 1901 as a council-run facility to fight deadly diseases such as measles, diphtheria and smallpox.

Made from quality materials such as Portland stone, it featured decorative leadwork. But it has stood empty since 1984 and there is no plan for its future.

The Victorian Society has placed the Millfields Road site on its "Top Ten Endangered Buildings List 2026" and is hoping a new use can be found for the building.

Disinfecting stations were built across London after the introduction of the Local Government Act of 1899. This enabled councils to enter homes, remove contaminated belongings, and disinfect them using steam cleaning.

In its first full year of operation, more than 24,000 items were disinfected and over 2,800 rooms treated, according to the Victorian Society.

The charity's president Griff Rhys Jones said the original facility was a "vital and ground-breaking" initiative that should be preserved as a "monument to Victorian foresight".

Although the Shelter House - which provided temporary accommodation for displaced families - and caretaker's lodge remain occupied, the main building was mothballed in 2020, and it now appears on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

Basic repairs have been undertaken, but the site remains vulnerable, the campaign group says.

The Victorian Society says losing it would be "nationally significant", and believes the most viable option is a "sensitive sale and reuse".

The charity's director James Hughes said it was "an exceptionally rare survivor of a building type that transformed public health in Britain".

"Hackney's disinfecting station tells a powerful story about how society responded to crisis, and how civic ambition shaped the built environment.

"A new use must now be found to secure its future," Hughes added.

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