Various buildings or locations in Newmarket have a significant history of being used for medical purposes, some by more than one medic, practice or institution at different points in time. The earliest known location for a medical premises in Newmarket is that of Gilman the apothecary in 1695, who rented a shop in Drapery Row (the dotted line on the map below), although his exact location is not known – see the page on Gilman the apothecary for more details. Click on the links below to discover more about each place listed:-
Alton House: at the bottom of The Terrace up the Cambridge end of the High Street, built as a surgery in the 1920s, by the predecessors of The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 1 on the map above).
Brackley House: in Rous Road, used by two different practices at different points in history, the predecessors of both Orchard House Surgery and The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 2 on the map above).
Cardigan Lodge: on the corner of The Avenue and High Street, apparently used by two different practices at different points in history, definitely by the predecessors of Oakfield Surgery and almost certainly earlier by those of The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 3 on the map above).
Cheveley House: was by the clock tower but no longer exists, used as a surgery by Ernest Last Fyson and possibly earlier by a predecessor of The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 4 on the map above).
Exning Road Surgery: a house (number 2) used as a surgery for a while by what’s now Orchard House Surgery (No. 5 on the map above).
Fever Hospital: up Fordham road out of town (No. 6 on the map above).
Grosvenor House: was in the High Street where the entrance to the Jockey Club is now, used as a surgery for a while by one of the predecessors of Orchard House Surgery (No. 7 on the map above).
Heath Cottage: was at the clock tower end of Bury Road but no longer exists, used as a surgery for a while by the predecessors of Orchard House Surgery (No. 8 on the map above).
Kingston House: set back from the High Street with a fascinating earlier royal history to the site, but later used as a surgery by two different practices at different points in history, the predecessors of Oakfield Surgery and by Ernest Crompton (No. 9 on the map above).
Lincoln Lodge: in Rayes Lane, used as a surgery for many years by the predecessors of Orchard House Surgery (No. 10 on the map above).
Lushington House: on The Terrace up the Cambridge end of the High Street, used as a surgery for many years by the predecessors of The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 11 on the map above).
Mentmore House: on the High Street in between the Crown and Waggon & Horses, used by two different practices at different points in history, the predecessors of The Rookery Medical Centre, and the Meads / Ernest Crompton (No. 12 on the map above).
Newmarket Hospital site: up Exning Road, used for various different medical purposes since a workhouse was built there in the early 19th century (No. 13 the old workhouse and infirmary; No. 14 today’s Newmarket Community Hospital, and as of 23rd March the new location for Oakfield Surgery as well).
Oakfield Surgery: originally in Vicarage Road, on the site of Oakfield House, which had been used as a nurses’ home connected with Newmarket Hospital (No. 15 on the map above is this original Oakfield location, but the practice is now based at the Newmarket Hospital site – No. 14 on the map above).
Orchard House Surgery: in Fred Archer Way, opposite the Guineas Shopping Centre (No. 16 on the map above).
Rookery Medical Centre: see ‘The’ Rookery Medical Centre below, which was it’s original name, i.e. the medical centre in The Rookery, still commonly known as ‘The Rookery’.
Rous Memorial Hospital: up Old Station Road (No. 17 on the map above).
Rous Villa: in Rous Road, used for many years by the predecessors of Oakfield Surgery, but at an earlier point in history by the predecessors of Orchard House Surgery too (No. 18 on the map above).
Sandiver House: a large old house in St Mary’s square, named after the 17th/18th century surgeon-apothecary who who lived there, William Sandiver 2, with his apothecary’s shop next door, with links to The Rookery Medical Centre (No. 19 on the map above).
The Rookery Medical Centre: in The Guineas Shopping Centre (No. 20 on the map above).
Other medical buildings: the First World War military hospitals and Cardigan Street District Nursing Home (not marked on the map above).
Other known medical locations not mentioned in the list above, all of which are in various parts of the High Street and detailed on the pages about the relevant occupants, include the 19th century premises of Richard Faircloth (No. 21 on the map above), Frederick Page (No. 22 on the map above), Robert Fyson (at two different locations, Nos. 23 & 24 on the map above), and likewise Walter Norton with two known High Street locations (Nos. 25 & 26 on the map above). Richard Faircloth’s house is of particular significance since it marks the origin of both the Orchard House and Oakfield practices (see the page on Richard Faircloth for a picture of the building after it was no longer a surgery). See also Ernest Crompton who occupied Mentmore House and Kingston House above, but also Rutland House (No. 27 on the map above), in the early 20th century.
Image 1: Diagram drawn in 2019, by the author of talkingdust.net.
Note: see comments regarding images and copyright © etc. on the Usage &c. page as well.