The original caption may contain language which is historic and which may no longer be considered appropriate. It has been retained in the record in the interest of historical accuracy.
The caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: “The new Westminster Hospital to be opened by H.M. the King to-morrow. The King, who will be accompanied by the Queen, will open the new Westminster Hospital in Page Street, London, S.W. to-morrow. Photo shows:- Nurses preparing beds in the Queen Elizabeth ward of the hospital today.”
The Westminster Hospital opened as the 'Infirmary for the Sick and Needy', with 10 beds, in 1720. It was the third hospital in London, and provided care for the sick poor of Westminster. 4 years previously, a group of men – concerned with how to develop a hospital – raised funds to buy food for sick prisoners of a local jail. The hospital faced local opposition and moved premises several times, with associated financial and staffing instability, but by 1760 it was known as the Westminster Hospital and had around 100 beds. Throughout the 19th century, conditions deteriorated despite extensive rebuilding. A major refurbishment in the 1920s only brought temporary relief. Therefore, in the 1930s, the hospital expanded on either side of St John’s Gardens, Westminster: a new nurses’ home and training school opened in 1938 on the west side, and a new hospital building opened in 1939 on the east side of the Gardens. See also MED01/01/0330-0332. High-resolution copies of this image are available for free for non-commercial use. Please Enquire to place an order.
This is part of the Series: MED01/01 Series of prints; within the Collection: MED01 Topical Press Agency Medical Collection
Source: Historic England Archive
Photographer: Topical Press Agency Limited
Photographer: Harrison, Norman Kingsley
Hospital Ward, Health And Welfare
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