This building is now a memory but it will continue to have a special place in the hearts of many people in Watford – because it was where they were born.

The Watford Observer has again linked up with its friends at Watford Museum to recall structures or objects from the town’s past that have either disappeared or been relocated and today we look back at King Street Maternity Hospital.

The museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard said: “King Street Maternity Hospital was located on the corner of King Street and Lady's Close.

Watford Observer: Another view of the hospitalAnother view of the hospital (Image: Watford Museum)

“It was recorded in a 1929/30 report about Hertfordshire County Council's Poor Law Institutions and that they were ‘now erecting a fully equipped maternity hospital...with 24 beds, in conjunction with the County Nursing Association’.

Watford Observer: The entrance to the former maternity hospitalThe entrance to the former maternity hospital (Image: Watford Museum)

“The hospital closed its doors on July 5, 1968 and maternity care was transferred to a new unit at Shrodells Hospital (now Watford General) in Vicarage Road.

Watford Observer: The red dot shows the location of the hospital on this 1940's Ordnance Survey map that predates the construction of the Ring RoadThe red dot shows the location of the hospital on this 1940's Ordnance Survey map that predates the construction of the Ring Road (Image: Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland)

“The old hospital in King Street has since been demolished and new homes built on the site.”

Watford Museum is open Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.