Dudley Guest Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Dudley Guest Hospital is a hospital located in Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
.
and the buildings were originally constructed in 1849 by the Earl of Dudley
to accommodate miners blinded in the numerous local coal mines
. The miners rejected the Earl's charity, and the buildings remained empty until 1871, when they were taken over by local chainmaker Joseph Guest and turned into a hospital.
pawnbroker Hugh Lewis left his entire estate of £80,000 to the hospital.
Most of the hospital was rebuilt between 1929 and 1939, on the far side not visible from Tipton Road, though part of these new buildings were visible from Birmingham New Road which opened in 1927 and allowed for a second vehicular access point (which was closed in the 1990s
). A new pre-fabricated timber/plaster board annex was added in the 1960s.
The hospital's accident and emergency department closed in 1983 and was relocated to the new Russells Hall Hospital
. Around this time, fears were rife in the local area that Dudley Guest Hospital was on the verge of closure, but the opening of a new hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy department later in January 1986 appeared to silence these fears. However, National Health Service
officials announced in July 1990 that they were considering closing the hospital (along with nearby Burton Road Hospital
, which ultimately closed in December 1993) and relocating services to proposed new buildings at Russells Hall, but the hospital survived another 17 years.
Most of the buildings are due to be retained owing to their historic importance, though some of the less significant structures are set to be demolished to make way for a housing development - these include the wards at the rear of the site which were built in the 1930s, as well as the hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy department. The administration building, former out-patients unit and hospital lodge are set to be retained to form residential properties.
In 2008, it was used to film Ghosthunting with...
and stars from I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! ghosthunted in parts of the hospital, just six months after it closed.
chain
maker who developed his industry in the Black Country
of Central England
during the Industrial Revolution
of the 19th century. He is most famous for opening the Dudley Guest Hospital in 1871, having bought the buildings from the Earl of Dudley
who had built them in 1849 with the intention of housing miners who had been blinded in the local mines, but the miners had rejected this offer and the buildings remained empty for 22 years until Guest purchased them and opened a hospital.
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Victorian origins
It is situated in Tipton Road, DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
and the buildings were originally constructed in 1849 by the Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family. This family descends from Sir Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy goldsmith and jeweller to King Charles I...
to accommodate miners blinded in the numerous local coal mines
Russells Hall Estate
Russells Hall is a residential area of Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The area was extensively mined for coal during the Industrial Revolution and would remain open for many years, which meant the district had become highly industrialised in the then heyday of the Black Country's...
. The miners rejected the Earl's charity, and the buildings remained empty until 1871, when they were taken over by local chainmaker Joseph Guest and turned into a hospital.
Life after 1900
In 1908, TiptonTipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
pawnbroker Hugh Lewis left his entire estate of £80,000 to the hospital.
Most of the hospital was rebuilt between 1929 and 1939, on the far side not visible from Tipton Road, though part of these new buildings were visible from Birmingham New Road which opened in 1927 and allowed for a second vehicular access point (which was closed in the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
). A new pre-fabricated timber/plaster board annex was added in the 1960s.
The hospital's accident and emergency department closed in 1983 and was relocated to the new Russells Hall Hospital
Russells Hall Hospital
Russells Hall Hospital is an NHS-owned hospital located in Dudley, West Midlands, England.It is situated on the A4101 main road which connects Dudley with Kingswinford, and lies narrowly within Dudley's boundaries just outside Brierley Hill...
. Around this time, fears were rife in the local area that Dudley Guest Hospital was on the verge of closure, but the opening of a new hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy department later in January 1986 appeared to silence these fears. However, National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
officials announced in July 1990 that they were considering closing the hospital (along with nearby Burton Road Hospital
Burton Road Hospital
Burton Road Hospital was a National Health Service hospital situated in Dudley, West Midlands, England.It originally existed within the Sedgley Urban district until that became part of Dudley in 1966...
, which ultimately closed in December 1993) and relocating services to proposed new buildings at Russells Hall, but the hospital survived another 17 years.
New buildings
A new horseshoe-shaped extension was opened in 2003, but the old buildings - including the out-patients department - remained in use until October 2007.Most of the buildings are due to be retained owing to their historic importance, though some of the less significant structures are set to be demolished to make way for a housing development - these include the wards at the rear of the site which were built in the 1930s, as well as the hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy department. The administration building, former out-patients unit and hospital lodge are set to be retained to form residential properties.
In 2008, it was used to film Ghosthunting with...
Ghosthunting With...
Ghosthunting With... is based on investigating purported paranormal activity. Yvette Fielding hosts the programme, broadcast on digital channel ITV2, where she takes celebrities to haunted buildings to investigate....
and stars from I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! ghosthunted in parts of the hospital, just six months after it closed.
Joseph Guest
Joseph Guest was an EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
chain
Chain
A chain is a sequence of connected links.Chain may also refer to:Chain may refer to:* Necklace - a jewelry which is worn around the neck* Mail , a type of armor made of interlocking chain links...
maker who developed his industry in the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
of Central England
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
of the 19th century. He is most famous for opening the Dudley Guest Hospital in 1871, having bought the buildings from the Earl of Dudley
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley
William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley , known as The Lord Ward from 1835 to 1860, was a British landowner and benefactor.-Background and education:...
who had built them in 1849 with the intention of housing miners who had been blinded in the local mines, but the miners had rejected this offer and the buildings remained empty for 22 years until Guest purchased them and opened a hospital.