The origins of the hospital lie with the foundation of
The Hospital for Incurables announced at a meeting held in July 1854 at the
Mansion House, chaired by the
Lord Mayor of London. The hospital's founder,
Andrew Reed, had a record as a practical
philanthropist, having previously set up four other charities, and
Charles Dickens, the celebrated author, was one of the first high-profile figures to show his support by helping Reed raise funds for it. Its first location was a converted
workhouse in
Carshalton, Surrey, but as demand for its services grew, larger premises were required, and in 1857 it moved to a more spacious house in
Putney. Just a few years later, more space was needed and so in 1863 the hospital relocated to its permanent home, Melrose Hall on West Hill, in Putney. Melrose Hall had originally been designed for John Anthony Rucker by the architect
Jesse Gibson. It came with 24 acres (97,000 m2) of land on which, until the 1960s, the hospital ran a working farm, supplying fresh produce for patients' meals. The Hall also had extensive gardens, parts of which had been landscaped by
Capability Brown. ==Supporters and patrons==