History:
Rochford Union Poor law Institution, designed by William Thorold was built in 1837. The workhouse site expanded in the late 19th century. In 1929 the Local Government Act transferred responsibility for the Poor Law Institutions to the local council. Renamed Southend Municipal Hospital, the newly formed Health Committee considered the facilities inadequate and commissioned further extensions.
The buildings have now been converted for residential use.

Architecture:
From the 1930s hospitals were used by a wider section of the population and improvements to food, daily routines, waiting times , availability of information and noise were addressed as ways to improve the comfort of the patients. Amongst the design changes were single rooms in some maternity blocks, and bell pushes, ear phones and day spaces in general wards. These all featured in the new buildings at Rochford Hospital.

A major extension to the hospital was undertaken in the 1930s that was designed by the Borough engineer, R H Dyer and architect, F W Smith. These included innovative designs for the accommodation for maternity services and tuberculosis patients.

In general the buildings are designed with the wards on the south side of the main corridors with the service room to the north and east. The typical ward layout consists of single bedrooms, day rooms and two six- bed wards with semi-circular bays. The Margaret Broom maternity unit was a model design containing separate early labour rooms, spacious delivery rooms, nurseries and post natal wards.

The Samuel Johnson Building is built on a V- shaped plan with south-facing square wards stepped back in echelon arrangement to give maximum air and sunlight into the rooms. The ward layout consists of six single bed wards, six four bed wards, a day room and solaria on each floor. The treatment of tuberculosis with sunlight and fresh air is reflected in the design of the solaria that have large opening windows facing south.

These buildings of the 1930s and 40s reflect the dominant architectural pre-occupations of the International style using frame construction, large areas of glass based on functional space arrangements. They also reflect the key ideas of the time in medicine. Sanatoria retained a key role in hospital design until the discovery of streptomycin as a more effective treatment became common. Many sanatoria have since been converted into continuing care homes for older or disabled people.