Rhyl Journal

THE COMPLETE NEW BUILDINGS. THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL. HISTORY OF THE HOSPITAL. THE ROYAL ALEXANDRA HOSPITAL is the outcome of an originally small institution, known as the Children's Home," which was established in 1872 by the late Archdeacon Ffoulkes and a few others, in a cottage on the East Parade, with beds for 12 patients. In the following year the Committee purchased a house known as 'The Baths,' which stood almost at the water's edge between the beach and the Parade. Here there was room at first for 16 beds, but it was soon evident that the building would have to be enlarged to meet the increasing demands upon it. Applications for admission poured in from all parts of the country, and such was the invigorating effect of the pure sea air, with good nursing and skilful treatment combined, that many apparently hopeless cases were restored to health and strength. Plans for enlargement were prepared by Mr Lloyd Williams, of Denbigh, and in the same year building operations commenced. In the absence of any endowment, the Hospital has depended for its maintenance upon voluntary contributions, and the services of its officers, medical staff, and the ladies who have superintended its working have always been gratuitously rendered. In May, 1873, Miss Vizard and Miss Cunninghame Graham, both of whom had been trained in a London Hospital, took charge of it. p In Miss Graham, after rendering invaluable service for 20 years, was obliged to leave in 1893 through illness caused by over work. She died in the following year, and the Committee unanimously resolved that a ward in the new hospital should bear her name. Fortunately, Miss Vizard is still here to watch over the progress of the institution, to which she has freely devoted the work of her life and which owes so much to her wise management. In April, 1874, the building, greatly improved and enlarged, was solemnly opened and dedicated to the service of God, by the Bishop of Bangor, one of the patrons of the Hospital. It was now capable of holding 60 patients, and it was very soon filled. In January, 1875, the rules and constitution of the Hospital were drafted and settled in their present form, the full title being The Children's Convalescent Home and Seaside Hospital." In January, 1876, the late Duke of Westminster accepted the position of President of the Institution. From the very first he had watched over its progress with the keenest personal interest, aDd continued to do so all his life, presiding at the annual meetings, and supporting it not only by generous subscriptions but by wise counsel and all the weight of his influence and example. Many of the alterations and additions made from time to time were carried out by private benefaction or subscription, to the memory of friends who had been closely associated with the hospital. Thus a new ward, known as the Gertrude Ward, consisting of 3 rooms with 20 beds, was added in 1877 by sympathising friends in memory of the only child of the late Archdeacon and Mrs Ffoulkes. The bal- conies were given by Sister Harriet, a sister of Mrs Ffoulkes, as her contribution to this ward in memory of her niece. The Mortuary Chapel, with a painted window representing a ship coming into port, was erected by a great friend to the memory of Miss Watkins, one of the Staff, who died at the hospital after eight years' work there. The stained glass in the chapel was placed there by children connected with the families of different members of the Committee, such as the grandchildren of the late Dean Bonnor, the nephews and nieces of Archdeacon Ffoulkes, the children of Mr and Mrs Chambres and Mr and Mrs Lloyd Williams and others. The painted panels were gifts from different friends, only one being a memorial. The stained glass and the panels ¡ will be replaced in the new chapel, and those memorials which cannot be thus retained will be recorded on a tablet in the Hospital. During the summers of 1880 and 1881, the number of applica- tions for ;admission increased so rapidly that the trustees bought two newly-built houses, which were situated immediately opposite, to supplement the existing accommodation, and No. 8 Plastirion Ter- race was subsequently rented by the Committee for convalescents during the summer months. Such were the premises when in 1882 H.R.H. the Princess of Wales graciously consented to become the patroness of the institution, and to allow it to bear her name. During the next decade the hospital was always as full as it could be, and in 1894 the Committee after anxious deliberation decided to take the important step of erecting a new hospital, which should be designed in accordance with the scientific requirements of the day, to meet the increasing needs of the institution. In this undertaking they had the hearty support and co-operation of the late Duke of Westminster, whose death has been an irreparable loss. It is unnecessary to relate here the history of the unfortunate proposal to re-build on the old site. Suffice it to say that after plans had been adopted, and the foundation stone laid in 1894 by H.R.H. the Princess of Wales, unexpected obstacles arose which caused a long and tedious delay, and the Hospital authorities eventually acceded to the wishes of the town, and decided to remove the hospital to a new site which was placed at their disposal on the sea front, further East. There can be little doubt that the failure of the original scheme of re-building, in spite of the disappointment and costly delay which it involved, will be recognised in years to come as a blessing in disguise. The old site, small as it was, was hampered by so many restrictions that it would have been difficult -if not impossible to place a satisfactory building upon it; while further development would have been out of the question, owing to the irretrievable initial error of building on such an inadequate site. The new site is an excellent one in every way. It has an uninter- rupted sea frontage of about 265 feet, and is bounded by four main roads. It comprises about two acres of ground, and thus affords ample room for all possible requirements in the way of buildings, and also a garden for the use of nurses and patients. THE NEW BUILDINGS. Messrs. Waterhouse and Son, of London, whose names are associated with more than one modern hospital, are the architects from whoso designs the new buildings are being executed. Taking advantage of the formation of the site, the architects have so arranged the accommodation that the centre of the sea front is occupied by the administrative block, while the wards and their connected offices are grouped in a block lying at right angles along the western boundary of the site. As a pendant to the ward block there will no doubt eventually be erected, when funds are forthcoming, a con- valescent building occupying the eastern frontage. The portions at present complete are the ward block, the boiler-house, which stands at the south end of the future convalescent block, and the laundry, a small independent erection. The administrative block, which is well advanced, already makes a good show as regards outward appearance, but is internally incomplete. The plan of the ward block is perfectly simple. In the centre is a staircase, north and south of which is a ward of fifteen beds. The arrangement is repeated on two floors, the ground and first floor, so that in all there is ward accommodation for 60 patients, without counting small wards for 0 special cases. Among the latter there is a Men's Accident Ward with 2 beds, which will supply a long felt-want in the town and district. Dr Eyton Lloyd, to whose initiative this ward is mainly due, is now appealing for subscriptions to endow a bed in it, and' £ 249 has already been collected, including £150 from Mrs Nicholson. On every floor there is, besides the wards, complete sanitary accommodation, grouped according to modern practice in isolation sanitary towers. Adjacent to the staircase is a full-size bed lift, worked by electricity, and in the basement there is a large recreation-room, as well as various rooms for service. A special feature of the wards, and one which is thoroughly in accord with modern medical ideas, is to be found in the extensive balconies which face the north, west, and south. To these balconies the patients can be brought in their cots, and thus reap all the advantages of sunshine and sea air at an earlier period of their convalescence than would otherwise be possible. In the matter of mechanical plant the Hospital will be un- usually complete. The large boilers, placed in the boiler-house already mentioned, not only provide the pumping power which will supply the Hospital with salt water, but also generate electric current for lighting the Hospital and for the lift, and further provide steam heating, and, if it should eventually be desired, steam cooking. The second floor of the ward block contains among other accommodation a well-lighted operation-room, to which patients can be conveyed by means of the lift. Although most of the staff accommodation is provided in the administrative or central block, provision has been made for a temporary kitchen, &o., in the basement of the ward block, for use pending the completion of the administrative building. Those who were familiar with the old hospital will recall as its most attractive feature the very beautiful chapel, designed by Mr. Douglas, of Chester. Messrs. Waterhouse and Son have been careful in their new building to provide as far as possible for the transference of the actual material of that little church. The east window of the new hospital chapel will be prac- tically the same in substance as well as in design as that of the old, and it is understood that a lady has undertaken to provide stained glass by an artist of recognised skill for some of the new windows which the larger size of the new chapel will render necessary. Beneath the chapel and following the apsidal form is a small mortuary. The kitchen department occupies an important portion of the north frontage in the basement, and there is on the same floor, besides bathrooms of the ordinary size, a circular plunge bath of rather unusual design for the purpose of salt-water bathing. Hot and cold sea-water baths will thus always be available in the Hospital for those who require them. The materials of which the hospital is built have been selected with a view to minimising as far as possible the cost of renewal and the necessity for re-decoration. In the wards, the floors of which are of marble terrazzo, the walls have been lined up to the height of the bedheads with glazed majolica bricks, above which is adamant plaster, recognised as one of the best materials for hospital wall surface. Throughout the wards curved outlines have been substituted for angles so as to avoid dust-traps, and this principle has been adhered to in the designing of the window and door moulds throughout the sickroom portion of the buildings. The floors are mostly fireproof—constructed of steel and concrete, and the staircases are fireproof also. Externally the walls are faced with red bricks relieved with dressings of Gwespyr stone. When complete the establishment will have as many as 160 patients, and will provide accommodation for 25 nurses, many of whom will be engaged in work outside the hospital. The contractors throughout have been Messrs. Thornton, of Liverpool, and the superintendence has been carried out, under the architects, by Mr Thomas Haigh, clerk of the Voi-ks. Among the specialists engaged in various parts of the work may be mentioned Messrs. Ashwell and Nesbit, who are responsible for the heating and ventilation, pumping machinery, and electric lighting; Messrs. Way good and Co., who supplied the lift Messrs. Degrelle, Houdret and Co., the makers of the terrazzo floors; the Burmantofts Works (Leeds Fireclay Company), who provided the glazed brick work and the firms of Hart, Son, Peard, and Co., and Alfred Walker and Son, who respectively prepared the ornamental wrought iron work and the concrete stairs and landings. The following firms have supplied the furniture for the Ward Block:—Messrs Rhydwen Jones and Davies, Rhyl, bedsteads (Lawson Tait) and blinds A. Sheffield, Rhyl, kitchen range, cutlery, mattresses and pillows H. Millward, Rhyl, bed linen; R. Arnold, Rhyl, blankets Watts & Co., Liverpool, special ward furniture, lockers, &c. Maw, Son and Thompson, ambulance. PATIENTS RECEIVED. The following statistics will illustrate the work done by the hospital, and will show what a very strong claim it has upon the English public, and especially upon the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire, from which most of its patients have been received. It is in fact to many inland towns the only means of giving to the children of the sick poor the pure and bracing sea air which they specially need to restore them to health. WALES. 1892 1893 1897 1898 1899 Total in 5 yrs. Denbighshire. 45 63 43 57 76 274 Flintshire 40 25 26 32 20 143 I flq Carnarvonshire 26 28 2 9 18 83 f Other Welsh Counties 4 23 28 14 20 89 J ENGLAND. > Staffordshire. 105 140 155 156 166 722 Shropshire 109 119 94 98 126 546 Warwickshire 80 85 99 102 94 460 Cheshire 95 73 86 97 94 444 Lancashire 62 71 42 38 51 264 London 29 13 19 13 13 87 Yorkshire 15 17 14 9 18 73 Worcestershire 18 9 12 18 10 67 2,969 Herefordshire 16 13 11 13 9 62 Gloucestershire 7 6 5 10 4 32 Derbyshire 8 12 10 7 4 41 Leicestershire 3 14 7 1 6 31 Other English Counties 25 29 22 37 27 140 J Total 687 730 674 711 756 3,558 It should be explained that these years have been taken because 1893 was the last full year before the old building was finally closed, 0 y and 1897 was the first year after opening the temporary hospital at Hcndre. The principal towns from which these patients have come are the following :— 0' Birmingham 286, Chester 203, Shrewsbury 147, Manchester 113, London 87, Burton-on-Trent 111, Rhyl t97, Liverpool 95, IBmgor 59, Stoke-on-Trent 89, Wolverhampton 72, Hereford 28, Stafford 44, Burslem 20, Denbigh 32, Coventry 45, Derby 22, Wigan 13, Leeds 11. It will be seen that the hospital is in no sense a local one. Of the 700 patients admitted on an average every year, only 118 come from Wales. Of the remainder, 1.50 belong to Staffordshire, 110 to Shropshire, 92 to Warwickshire, 89 to Cheshire, and 53 to Lan- cashire, while several other English counties are represented by small numbers. Hitherto however the counties which contribute most of the patients have for the most part overlooked the duty of contributing funds, with the result that the heavy ores ponsibilit y of re-building and maintaining the institution has mainly fallen upon persons interested in its work in North Wales. 1 The PRESSING REQUIREMENTS of the institution are j (1). About £6,000 to complete and furnish the new buildings, exclusive of the Convalescent block. (2). More Annual Subscribers towards maintenance. Each subscriber of one guinea towards maintenance is entitled to one recommendation, available for 4 weeks, and subscribers of larger sums in like proportion the patient thus recommended being required to pay in addition 5s. a week. It should be noticed as a special feature of this hospital that while the children of the working classes are primarily considered, the children of professional men and others are also admitted on payment of the reasonable sum of not less than 12s. a week, with the recommendation of a subscriber. A few ladies also of small means, engaged in teaching, nursing, &c., and requiring rest and treatment, may also be received on very moderate terms, provided that this does not interfere with the admission of children, who are the primary object of this charity. THE CONVALESCENT BLOCK. The erection of the Convalescent block is too great an under- taking to be attempted at present, unless some generous benefactors come forward to guarantee the cost. What this will be it is impossible to say exactly, as the plans have not yet been drawn, but probably it would not be less than £ 10,000. We cannot help hoping, however, that it may occur to someone to build it as a Memorial, in which case it might bear the name of the person to whose memory it was built, just as the central block will bear the name of the late Duke of Westminster and we would point out most strongly that a far greater number of patients could be provided for, and far more good would be done from a charitable point of view, by the erection of this convalescent block for 100 patients, than by building a small separate institution for the same money. It is perhaps not generally recognised how very few seaside Hospitals there are, and how necessary the sea is for the cure of certain diseases. There are plenty of seaside Homes, where the inmates are generally expected to sweep their rooms, make their beds, and not to have much the matter with them. But there are probably few, if any other, institutions in the country where sea air, salt water baths, and skilful treatment both from doctors and nurses, are combined as they are here. The fact that there are at the present time nearly 200 cases waiting for admission shows very clearly the exceptional character of this hospital. And it is surely not unreasonable to hope, now that so much has been done and done so well to provide the necessary buildings and plant, that before long the comparatively small amount required to complete the work will be forthcoming. The Hon. Treasurer will be glad to receive any donations, large or small, for the Building Fund. Annual subscrip- tions towards maintenance should be sent to the Lady Superintendent, who will then send a letter of recommendatiou to the subscriber. FREE COTS. There are now 12 Memorial Free Cots in the Hospital, including one established for the benefit of Rhyl patients to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The sum needed for the per- manent endowment of a Free Cot is £700, or it may be maintained by an annual contribution of £20. Any person endowing or main- taining a Free Cot is entitled to place a patient in it free of all charge. An increase in the number of Free Cots would be of great advantage. THE HOSPITAL LEAGUE. The Hospital League was organised in the spring of 1899 in aid of the Building Fund, the object being to enlist the interest and support of as many subscribers as possible, however small their subscription might be. The plan of the League is briefly this A Lady President was appointed for a county, who sub-divided it into districts, and appointed a Vice-President for each every Vice- President undertook to find if possible 20 members who would each subscribe or collect 25s. In the first year the League has raised very nearly £ 3000, made up as follows :— County. President. Amount. £ 8. d. Anglesey Lady Magdalen Williams Bulkeley 9 0 0 Carnarvonshire Lady Penrhyn 334 14 0 Denbighshire Lady Trevor 259 5 2 Flintshire Lady Mostyn 806 11 11 Montgomeryshire. Mrs Mytton 158 0 5 Cheshire The Duchess of Westminster 340 5 0 Lancashire The Countess of Derby 91 7 0 Shropshire The Countess of Powis 119 5 0 Staffordshire The Countess of Dartmouth 351 7 4 Worcestershire n!ls> of Coventry j. M6 7 2 ( I he Viscountess Cobham J Birmingham .The Lady Mayoress (Mrs. Beale) 119 16 4 Scotland Mrs Butler Hay 37 6 0 Total £2,943 5 4 This year Miss Cunliffe has taken the place of Lady Trevor as President for Denbighshire and Mrs Broughton Dugdale, of Wroxhall Abbey, Warwick, has kindly consented to be President for Warwickshire. Further information will be gladly given by the Hon. Secretary, and all help will be welcomed. R. M. H. J.