The Forgotten Story of Britain's First Migraine Clinic in Putney
Medical historian wants to hear from people treated at Clarendon Drive
Left: Eileen Lecky. Right: Dr Nevil Leyton. Picture: Supplied by Dr Mark Weatherall
July 27, 2026
It is a little-known fact that the first dedicated migraine clinic in the United Kingdom was not founded in Harley Street or a major London teaching hospital, but in a quiet corner of Putney in 1952. The Putney Migraine Clinic, established by local philanthropist Eileen Lecky, was a pioneering venture that placed the treatment of headaches and migraine at the centre of community medicine long before the condition was widely understood.
Lecky, whose name now graces the Eileen Lecky Health Centre on Clarendon Drive, invited Harley Street physician Dr Nevil Leyton to lead the clinic. Dr Leyton was experimenting with a novel hormone-based therapy for migraine, and early reports claimed striking success rates. The clinic quickly gained attention, with questions even raised in Parliament about why the NHS was not adopting its model more widely.
Throughout the 1950s, the Putney clinic flourished, offering hope to patients who had often been dismissed or misunderstood elsewhere. Its work helped to shift perceptions of migraine from a vague complaint to a legitimate neurological condition requiring specialist care. The clinic’s influence extended beyond Putney: its success inspired the creation of headache charities and government-funded research programmes that continue to shape treatment today.
After Eileen Lecky ’s death and Dr Leyton ’s retirement in the 1960s, the clinic continued for a few years before closing in the early 1970s. Yet its legacy endures — not only in the name of the health centre but in the broader history of British medicine.
Neurologist and historian Dr Mark Weatherall, who is researching the clinic’s story, believes it deserves far greater recognition. “The story of the Putney Migraine Clinic holds a unique place within the history of headache in the UK,” he says. “Its success led to the establishment of headache charities and government-funded research, which have ensured that its legacy endures to the present day.”
The Eileen Lecky Clinic
Dr Weatherall is now seeking memories from anyone who was treated at the clinic or remembers Eileen Lecky and Dr Leyton. Those who attended in their twenties or thirties could well be in their eighties today — and, he hopes, headache-free.
Anyone with recollections or records of the clinic can contact Dr Mark Weatherall at mark.weatherall@doctors.org.uk.
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