General view of the 'St Mary Magdalene Leper Chapel', from the south-west

Date:
1900 - 1960
Location:
St Mary Magdalene Leper Chapel, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Show all locations
Stourbridge Chapel, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Reference:
LON01/01/CB/008A
Type:
Photograph (Negative)
Placeholder image

Image not available

Explore our collections: Search over 1.5 million records
How you can use our images. [editable]

Description

This negative is attached to LON01/01/CB/008.

‘Leper chapels’ were chapels built at ‘leper hospitals’. These hospitals were isolated communities or hospitals for the treatment of people affected by leprosy, and were often run by religious houses. At least 320 religious ‘leper hospitals’ were established in England between the 11th century and 1350. ‘Leper chapels’ allowed people affected by leprosy to take part in religious services without risk of infecting other people.

Many of the hospital buildings were destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s; others fell into disuse or were put to new uses. Modern treatments developed in the 20th century reduced the need to isolate people affected by leprosy.

Sources: Historic England, ‘The Time of Leprosy: 11th Century to 14th Century’, Historic England website, accessed 07/01/2025.

Wikipedia, ‘Leper colony’, Wikipedia website, accessed 07/01/2025.

World Health Organization, ‘Leprosy (Hansen disease)’, World Health Organization website, accessed 07/01/2025.

Content

This is part of the Sub Series: LON01/01/CB George Long photographic images - Cambridgeshire; within the Series: LON01/01 George Long photographic images; within the Collection: LON01 George R Long Collection

Rights

© Historic England Archive

People & Organisations

Photographer: Long, George R

Keywords

Leper Hospital, Chapel