Originally East Cliff Home was founded by the St. Pancras Board of Guardians, but taken over in 1898 by the Metropolitan Asylums Board as a hospital for children suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. It was extended three times in the early 20th century but due to falling numbers of patients in the mid 1930's it was converted into a hospital for convalescent women and renamed the Princess Mary's Convalescent Home. In 1984 it was purchased from the local health authority and became a private nursing home although some of the original children's hospital buildings are still owned by the local health authority.(1)

<1> RCHME, 1993, Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: Compilation of Kent Hospitals Record Sheets, nbr 101143 (Unpublished document). SKE6841.