Hackney Chronicle: Hackney Disinfecting Station is on the Victorian Society's Top Ten Endangered Buildings list for 2026.

A historic building that once helped tackle deadly diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles is on the Victorian Society's Top Ten Endangered Buildings list for 2026. The Hackney Borough Disinfecting Station, located in Millfields Road, Clapton, Hackney, London, was built in 1901 and stands as the last surviving purpose-built municipal disinfecting station in England. Designed by Gordon and Gunton, the Grade II-listed building played a vital role in late Victorian and Edwardian-era public health efforts—offering a glimpse into how officials confronted widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. An aerial shot of the building (Image: CAV Aerial) Read more 'We're fining riders for bad parking – but pavement cycling is hard to stop'Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood named as next hosts of Saturday Night Live UK Actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones OBE, president of the Victorian Society, said: "We may have our own scares and scars from recent experience, but the Victorians started our awareness of public health. Recent epidemics tell us how vital and ground-breaking this initiative was and this building must be reused. "If it can’t serve its original purpose, that doesn’t mean it can’t stand as a monument to Victorian foresight." Supported by the Local Government Act of 1899, Hackney Borough Council was able to enter homes, remove contaminated items, and steam-clean them at a central facility. Some of the damage to the site (Image: CAV Aerial) The Millfields Road station was designed for this purpose, housing a Shelter House for temporarily displaced families and a caretaker’s lodge alongside the main disinfecting building. In its first full year of operation, the station disinfected more than 24,000 items and cleaned over 2,800 rooms. Though functional by design, the building was constructed with care and features Portland stone and decorative leadwork. It became a symbol of civic commitment to public health until its closure in 1984. Since then, the main building has remained unused and was mothballed in 2020. Basic repair work has been carried out, and parts of the site remain occupied, but the main structure is listed on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and lacks a long-term preservation plan. The back of the Hackney Disinfection Station (Image: CAV Aerial) James Hughes, director of the Victorian Society, said: "This is an exceptionally rare survivor of a building type that transformed public health in Britain. "Hackney’s disinfecting station tells a powerful story about how society responded to crisis, and how civic ambition shaped the built environment. A new use must now be found to secure its future." The Victorian Society argues that bringing the building back into use is the best way to ensure its survival. They believe a sensitive sale and reuse of the site would be the most effective solution. The building’s inclusion in Historic England’s Heritage Investment Prospectus 2025 offers renewed hope for its restoration. The Disinfecting Station earned its place on the Victorian Society’s 2026 Top Ten Endangered Buildings List as the last example of a once-common but now extinct type of public health facility. In 1899, Hackney alone recorded 116 deaths from measles—115 of them children—and 252 from diphtheria. The infant mortality rate stood at 165 per 1,000 live births, compared to just four per 1,000 today. Although the Shelter House and caretaker’s lodge remain in use, the main building has been left vacant and exposed to further decay. The Victorian Society said that preserving and repurposing the structure would honour its historical significance and serve as "a monument to Victorian foresight." The society has a statutory role in the planning process and is consulted on all applications where there is an element of demolition of listed Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Their advocacy has contributed to the preservation of historically valuable sites such as St Pancras Station in London and the Albert Dock in Liverpool. Through its events, publications, and outreach work, the Victorian Society continues to promote the value of Victorian and Edwardian architecture across the UK. The organisation views the reuse of existing historic buildings as key to a sustainable future. Their work is funded primarily by membership and supported by expert committees. Ninety-nine per cent of people who live in England and Wales live less than a mile away from a listed building.