The Gray Cancer Institute was founded by Louis Harold Gray at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, north-west London, in 1953. Gray was a physicist who worked primarily on the effects of radiation on biological systems, and the Gray Cancer Institute was the world's first centre dedicated to radiobiology - that is, the study of the action of ionising radiation on living beings, specifically the health effects of such radiation. Gray joined Mount Vernon in 1933 as a hospital physicist and, in 1937, built an early example of a neutron generator on site, using it to study the biological effects of neutrons on the human body. In 1953 he founded what was originally called the British Empire Cancer Campaign Research Unit in Radiobiology at the hospital, in a new purpose built facility. In 1970 it was renamed to the Cancer Research Campaign's Gray Laboratory, and latterly in 2001 it became the Gray Cancer Institute. In 1962, researchers Ed Hart and Jack Boag discovered the 'hydrated electron' (or 'solvated electron') using a technique developed at the Institute called pulse radiolysis, where molecules are split apart, or disassociated from each other, through high energy ionising radiation pulses. This discovery initiated a whole new direction of research which is still ongoing today and is incredibly important in further understanding how radiation affects biological tissue, thus being of great use in developing more effective cancer treatments. Among his many other achievements in the field, Louis Harold Gray defined a new unit of radiation dosage - absorbed dose - which was later renamed after him as the gray.
The Gray Cancer Institute was primarily involved with research into the 'oxygen effect' on the radiosensitivity of tumours, and the building was home to a one of a kind 4 MeV heavy ion Van De Graff accelerator. In 2006 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford University and in 2008 moved to a new facility in Oxford, renamed the Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology. Since closure it has been heavily fortified with steel grates over every window and door on every floor, and seemingly forgotten about. The Grade II* listed hospital chapel, built in 1905 in an Arts and Crafts style, is located next to the laboratory and in 1988 it was converted into the Fowler Scott Cancer Research Library, before being turned into the lecture theatre for the Gray Cancer Institute, it too has been sat vacant since 2008, however is well secured and somewhat looked after.
Mount Vernon Hospital itself is a very interesting place, it was designed by architect Fred Wheeler and built in it's current form in 1904 on what was the Northwood Park Estate. It was built partly as a sanatorium design with two long wings flanking a central section, however from the 'front' of the hospital it looks like a very pretty classic Victorian era London hospital. The original building is up there in my favourite old hospital buildings, mainly for the two wonderful almost entirely glazed rooms at either end of the long wings, and the admin/entrance building and the linked dining hall which leads to the Sanatorium wings via a corridor lined with stained glass visible all the way up the stairs. It is, however, very much still active, and has been added to a lot over the years with many extensions and expansions and new buildings opening up mainly to the western and northern parts of the land, however if it ever does close I think the interiors could be rather nice.
From the outside the building looks rather ungainly and indeed, ugly thanks to the unsympathetic addition of steel grates on every single window, door, and indeed skylight as we were to find. However internally, on the upper floors especially, it is largely completely original and unmodernised since construction, with some wonderfully decayed laboratory rooms. Parts of it, especially on the lower floors, are in a bit of a state and have been ripped apart a bit but given that it closed fifteen years ago it really isn't that bad. One room on the ground floor did however absolutely stink of natural gas, which is a bit of a worry, so there is that to bear in mind if you decide to visit. This was actually my third try at this particular location, a first visit late last summer was more of a pop in and have a wander/scout around in the middle of the day so we didn't really try too hard, I made a return at the start of this year where I was able to access the 1980s extension on one end but was then foiled by a bricked up walkway - I didn't take any photos as it was almost completely stripped of everything. But third time is the charm, as they say, and it went off without a hitch.
The chapel, later library and lecture theatre, very well secured.
As a postscript, this is the fantastic eastern end of the original 1904 hospital. It's very much in use, for records storage and other things, with the original chapel of rest - and presumably - mortuary in the foreground attached to it. The western end has a similar room, however it has been swallowed up by extensions and more modern developments so is largely obscured.
Thanks for looking!
The Gray Cancer Institute was primarily involved with research into the 'oxygen effect' on the radiosensitivity of tumours, and the building was home to a one of a kind 4 MeV heavy ion Van De Graff accelerator. In 2006 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford University and in 2008 moved to a new facility in Oxford, renamed the Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology. Since closure it has been heavily fortified with steel grates over every window and door on every floor, and seemingly forgotten about. The Grade II* listed hospital chapel, built in 1905 in an Arts and Crafts style, is located next to the laboratory and in 1988 it was converted into the Fowler Scott Cancer Research Library, before being turned into the lecture theatre for the Gray Cancer Institute, it too has been sat vacant since 2008, however is well secured and somewhat looked after.
Mount Vernon Hospital itself is a very interesting place, it was designed by architect Fred Wheeler and built in it's current form in 1904 on what was the Northwood Park Estate. It was built partly as a sanatorium design with two long wings flanking a central section, however from the 'front' of the hospital it looks like a very pretty classic Victorian era London hospital. The original building is up there in my favourite old hospital buildings, mainly for the two wonderful almost entirely glazed rooms at either end of the long wings, and the admin/entrance building and the linked dining hall which leads to the Sanatorium wings via a corridor lined with stained glass visible all the way up the stairs. It is, however, very much still active, and has been added to a lot over the years with many extensions and expansions and new buildings opening up mainly to the western and northern parts of the land, however if it ever does close I think the interiors could be rather nice.
From the outside the building looks rather ungainly and indeed, ugly thanks to the unsympathetic addition of steel grates on every single window, door, and indeed skylight as we were to find. However internally, on the upper floors especially, it is largely completely original and unmodernised since construction, with some wonderfully decayed laboratory rooms. Parts of it, especially on the lower floors, are in a bit of a state and have been ripped apart a bit but given that it closed fifteen years ago it really isn't that bad. One room on the ground floor did however absolutely stink of natural gas, which is a bit of a worry, so there is that to bear in mind if you decide to visit. This was actually my third try at this particular location, a first visit late last summer was more of a pop in and have a wander/scout around in the middle of the day so we didn't really try too hard, I made a return at the start of this year where I was able to access the 1980s extension on one end but was then foiled by a bricked up walkway - I didn't take any photos as it was almost completely stripped of everything. But third time is the charm, as they say, and it went off without a hitch.
The chapel, later library and lecture theatre, very well secured.
As a postscript, this is the fantastic eastern end of the original 1904 hospital. It's very much in use, for records storage and other things, with the original chapel of rest - and presumably - mortuary in the foreground attached to it. The western end has a similar room, however it has been swallowed up by extensions and more modern developments so is largely obscured.
Thanks for looking!
