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Every sale of the book benefits the hospital Free delivery in the UK

Published by John Adamson  2009 128 pp. c. 120 illustrations 11 11/16 × 8 5/8 in.  (296 × 220 mm) ISBN 978-0-9524322-7-2 Cloth £45.00 US$85.00

Obtainable from any good bookseller or from:	John Adamson: 90 Hertford Street, Cambridge CB4 3AQ, UK e-mail: Book orders
Distributed in the United States and Canada by:	ACC Art Books, New York

Summary The hospital for poor French Protestants and their descendants residing in Great Britain was incorporated in 1718. Affectionately known as La Providence, it was one of the earliest foundations to cater for London’s needy immigrants, and one of the first in Britain to provide sympathetic care for the mentally ill. This book charts the hospital’s history from its early days in Finsbury to its present location in the cathedral city of Rochester, Kent, where it provides sheltered housing for elderly people of Huguenot descent. Over the years many distinguished Huguenot settlers or their descendants have been associated with the hospital, among them the soldiers Sir John Ligonier and Henri de Massue de Ruvigny, Earl of Galway, the lawyer Sir Samuel Romilly and the archaeologist Sir Henry Austen Layard. The ivory carver David Le Marchand died there in 1726. The architect Robert Lewis Roumieu designed the spectacular new building in Victoria Park, Hackney, which was the French Hospital’s home from the late 1860s to the early 1940s. More than a hundred new photographs of the hospital’s collections of paintings, engravings, silver, furniture and memorabilia provide a unique visual record. Portraits featured include the eighteenth-century Huguenot merchants, Jean-Henri Guinand and Pierre Ogier. The early hospital records held at the Huguenot Library include tradesmen’s bills, portraits of inmates and hospital staff. An eighteenth-century steward’s diary records that one inmate hid over half a hundredweight of the hospital’s coal supply under her bed. Heraldic shields and book-plates record some of the principal Huguenot families who have served as directors, and a transcription of the 1742 inventory compiled in French lends historical colour. This richly illustrated account will appeal to a wide audience including social and art historians and all who are interested in Huguenot heritage.   ‘Many of the greatest names in the Huguenot annals have been involved ... [this book is] not just a memorial to a past endeavour, but also a testament to a noble work in progress.’ Huon Mallalieu, Country Life ‘This book charts the hospital’s peregrinations and buildings, describes the life of its inmates and illustrates its collections of paintings, furniture and, in particular, silver, all meticulously annotated.’ Burlington Magazine ‘Beautifully illustrated throughout. If you are researching your Huguenot ancestors, this book will make a brilliant addition to your library.’ Practical Family History ‘L'hôpital français de Londres a une longue et belle histoire, admirablement bien présentée dans ce livre luxueux.’ Bulletin de la Société d’Histoire du Protestantisme Français ‘Ce très beau livre, richement illustré, retrace l’histoire d’une fondation charitable huguenote en Angleterre, l’hôpital ou hospice français, fondé grâce aux dispositions testamentaires d’un huguenot altruiste, Jacques de Gastigny, décédé en 1708 à Londres.’ Le Souvenir Huguenot : Bulletin de la Société d’Histoire du Protestantisme en Normandie (voir tout l’article) List of inmates mentioned in the book