London Lighthouse was a centre for people with HIV/AIDS. It was the world's largest centre for people living with HIV when it opened, and helped pioneer a patient-centred approach in HIV care, and housed a residential unit, as well as day-care and drop-in centre facilities.[1]
The centre closed in 2013 and is now occupied by the Museum of Brands.[2][3]
London Lighthouse was co-founded by Christopher Spence MBE (Chief Executive Director), Andrew Henderson (Chairman) and John Shine.[4][5] Almost £5 million was raised in order to suitably equip a residential unit with space for up to 23 patients with AIDS which opened in September 1988.[6][7]
The official opening of London Lighthouse took place in November 1988 with a plaque unveiling by the late Princess Margaret.[6] It was also frequently visited by Diana, Princess of Wales, both for public events and private visits.[8][9] With the arrival of new treatments for HIV in the mid-1990s and a decline in funding, London Lighthouse reoriented towards lifelong support for people living with HIV, and its residential unit was closed.[1]
In October 2000, London Lighthouse merged with another HIV charity, Terrence Higgins Trust.[10] In 2013 Terrence Higgins Trust decided to close the facility to cut costs and in 2015 the Museum of Brands moved into the space.[2][3] The memorial garden, in which the ashes of many people who have died at Lighthouse are scattered, was preserved.[2] In 2021, an initiative was announced to create a UK National AIDS memorial to be located at the former London Lighthouse building.[11]
Archive materials relating to London Lighthouse can be found at the Special Collections and Archives at the Bishopsgate Institute[12] and also on the MayDay Radio website, including interviews and printed materials.[13]
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