The building was originally constructed to accommodate the Merchant Seamen's Orphan Asylum and was opened by Prince Albert in 1861.

[3] The building was taken over by Essex County Council and converted to use as a hospital in 1938.

[2] The hospital's old chapel lay empty until 1995, when it was purchased by what was then the Buckhurst Hill Reform Synagogue.

The building was refurbished to a high standard and is now the Sukkat Shalom Reform Synagogue.

[2] The exterior of the hospital was used for the opening credits of the Doctor in the House comedy series produced by London Weekend Television from 1969.