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Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital, Welwyn

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Alternative name(s):
  • Queen Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital (Later known as)
Date: 1901-1994
History: The Welwyn Cottage Hospital was founded following a public meeting in December 1900 and was opened in Codicote Road, Welwyn by public subscription in 1901, the year of the death of Queen Victoria. The hospital was open to the poor residing within a five mile radius of it, initially providing 4 beds. Preference was given to those not receiving poor relief. An authorised letter of recommendation had to accompany each patient. Subscribers were entitled to one letter for each guinea subscribed, and two subscribers for half a guinea could receive one letter between them. The Hospital also employed a district Nurse. In 1924 the Hospital moved to School Lane, Welwyn. From c1930 it was called the Queen Victoria Memorial Cottage Hospital. Although extensions were built to the original building, it was decided that a new hospital was needed. In 1934 a new hospital was built on a 5 acre site, thanks to a £25000 bequest by the late Sir Otto Beit, a Welwyn based daimond millionaire. It was opened on 24 July 1934, by the Duchess of York (later the Queen, when George VI ascended the throne in 1936, then the Queen Mother), who was born in Welwyn in 1900. The hospital was re-named the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital. It provided 20 beds for patients.

On 5 July 1948 control of the hospital passed to the Minister of Health, and was managed by the Luton and Hitchin Group No. 2 Hospital Management Committee under the aegis of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. At that time it provided 30 beds for patients. In 1974 it passed to the East Hertfordshire District Health Authority in the North West Thames Regional Health Authority. In 1984 a physiotherapy deaprtment was opened by the Queen Mother, who returned 50 years after the opening of the new hospital by her. In 1992 it came under the control of the East Herts Health NHS Trust, later the East and Nort Herts NHS Trust, providing 28 beds for mainly geriatric patients, although it did also provide facilities for physiotherapy, endescopy and minor surgery and casualty.
Places:
  • Welwyn, Hertfordshire
Sources of authority: National Health Service Act 1946
Functions, occupations and activities: Health and social care > Hospitals
Historical context: The first voluntary hospitals came into being in England to provide care for the poor after the Reformation, taking over the role previously performed by the monastic orders. Voluntary hospitals were privately endowed, often by a local landowner, but subsequently maintained by subscriptions and donations. Anyone was open to subscribe, and then became known as a governor or subscriber which entitled them to certain privileges. A Board of Management was appointed from the governors to administer the daily running of the hospital, usually with the help of a House Committee and a Finance Committee. Many local organizations adopted the hospitals and held fetes, garden parties and other fund raising events to raise money for the maintenance of the hospital and especially for the purchase of equipment. Many of the hospitals had contributory schemes which entitled a member of the scheme to medical treatment. The voluntary hospitals, unlike the large sprawling workhouse infirmaries, were usually small, containing as few as six or seven beds in some cases, and served the "deserving" poor of the immediate area. Voluntary hospitals would not generally admit the destitute or "undeserving" poor. In the early days of the voluntary hospitals the medical staff were usually unpaid, but it was considered to be prestigious to be appointed to the medical staff, who often maintained themselves by private practice. The nursing staff were on the whole either "Nightingale" nurses or had been trained at other nursing establishments. Voluntary hospitals could chose which patients to admit (then referring all other cases to the workhouse), and if their beds were full they could refuse to admit patients altogether. They did not take the chronic infirm, infectious cases or long term sick patients. Most of the voluntary hositals started life in cottages or other buildings, which were either bought by the governors or left by the benefactor. As the hospitals became more financially stable and more prestigious they were able to finance larger, purpose built buildings, often in the pavilion style with high ceilings and lofty corridors. On July 5th 1948 control of the voluntary hospitals passed from the Board of Management and therefore the local community to the Minister of Health.
References: Hosprec database; Burdetts and Hospital Yearbooks; A2A online catalogue
Name authority reference: GB/NNAF/C19144 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/O91898 )
Collections
Number Description Held by Reference Further information
1
1901-48: records incl minute books of various committees, and annual reports
Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
HV 9
NRA 11973 Hertfordshire
2
1901-1994: registers, staff records, reports, pjhotographs and other records
Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies
Off Acc 1385
See Annual Return 2003
Related record creators
  Record creator Description of relationship Dates Category of relationship
1
Luton and Hitchin Hospital Management Committee
The Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital was managed by the Luton and Hitchin Hospital Management Committee
1948-1974
Hierarchical
2
North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, London
Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital came under the authority of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board
1948-1974
Hierarchical
3
North West Thames Regional Health Authority
Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital came under the North West Thames Regional Hospital Authority
1974-1992
Hierarchical