Hill House, built in 1802, was the manor house on this site. It was bought by St Joseph's Teaching Brotherhood and they built a Roman Catholic school, St Joseph's Roman Catholic College, in 1887. This moved to Beulah Hill in 1895 and in 1897 the site was taken over by the Wandsworth Board of Guardians to provide extra workhouse accommodation.The College building was enlarged and renamed the Tooting Home for the Aged and Infirm. Hill House became the Nurses' Home. 1903 more patient accommodation was added.
WW1 the Home became the Church Lane Military Hospital (also known as the Tooting Military Hospital) and it was used as a neurological hospital for shell-shocked and neurasthenic ex-servicemen until 1923. It was then empty until 1931 when the LCC reopened it as St Benedict's Hospital for long-stay patients. 1948 it joined the NHS. More patient accommodation was built in 1951.It closed in 1981 and housing now (2016) occupies the site.
All this information from the always excellent . This shows the site with Hill House and the RC College in place.
Our picture source, History of St Benedicts, has other good photos as does .
Footnote: Daniel Defoe is said to have lived in Hill House but the authoritative is certain that Defoe could never have lived in a house on this site since Hill House was built, 1802, "in the comer of a field under cultivation", after Defoe's death, 1731.
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in to see them