Lodge Moor Hospital
Lodge Moor Hospital | |
---|---|
Lodge Moor | |
Coordinates | 53°22′18″N 1°34′15″W / 53.371762°N 1.570859°W |
Organisation | |
Care system | Public NHS |
Type | Isolation |
History | |
Opened | 1888 |
Closed | 1994 |
Lodge Moor Hospital is a former
History
Lodge Moor hospital was erected as a result of the Sheffield smallpox epidemic of 1887–1888.[1] Despite the increasing number of vaccinations, the disease remained virulent and the one way of keeping it in check was to isolate those with the disease from the healthy members of society. With this in mind Sheffield Corporation sought permission of the Local Government Board to borrow £12,000 to build an isolation hospital. The Board granted the request and the Council appointed the building contractors W. Bissett & Sons to build the hospital on an area of rough moorland called Lodge Moor on the western outskirts of the city.[2] The hospital was deliberately sited in an area of high altitude, 950 feet (290 metres) above sea level, as it was believed this would provide the necessary fresh air for patients.[3]
The smallpox epidemic stressed the importance of building the hospital quickly and a working party of 300 were set to work around the clock, within two months twelve wards had been erected to house 156 patients.[1] Each of these wards were made from wood and were viewed as just temporary structures, they could accommodate ten patients and had a composting toilet, storeroom and a bedroom for a nurse. In 1892 the first stone wards were built although it would be 1935 before the temporary wooden huts would be removed. By the turn of the century the diminishing number of smallpox patients due to widespread vaccination made it possible for Lodge Moor to admit patients with other contagious diseases such as scarlet fever, diphtheria and typhoid fever. Further expansion to the hospital completed in 1905 saw the addition of the six South wards, the main lodge, waiting room and the square tower which is a conspicuous landmark in the surrounding area.[1]
The
1928 saw further expansion to Lodge Moor with the central 5 and 6 wards and a separation ward built at a cost of £53,000. In 1935 the North 5 and 6 wards were built and the temporary wooden huts, which had served since 1888, were burnt down under the supervision of the Fire Brigade.[4] By 1950 the hospital could accommodate 508 infectious disease patients, in 1953 three wards were converted to a Paraplegic Unit and in 1954 the hospital took on the role of treating the spinal injuries (from road crashes and pit and factory accidents) for the whole of the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board area.[5] In May 1956 the patients from Crimicar Lane Hospital and Commonside Sanatorium were transferred to Lodge Moor when those units were closed by the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board.[6]
1955 jet crash
On 9 December 1955 the hospital was hit by a
Modern times
Operation of the hospital was transferred from the Sheffield Health Authority (dissolved on 1 April 1992) to the newly created
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Lodge Moor Hospital,Sheffield". National Archives. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "The Smallpox Hospital at Lodge Moor". Sheffield and Rotherham Independent. 11 January 1888. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Jet Crash on Hospital - Lodge Moor Sheffield". Chris Hobbs. 9 December 1955. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Lodge Moor Hospital, Sheffield". National Archives. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ISBN 0 907511 46 5, Page 17, Gives history of hospital.
- ^ "Crimicar Lane Hospital, Sheffield". National Archives. Retrieved 6 October 2018.