Over One Hundred Visitors a Day for the History of Savernake Hospital Exhibition

BBC Radio Wiltshire visited the Exhibition: – they took some really great photos

The project was a huge success and visitor numbers were way beyond expectations! Many people who viewed the exhibition found they did not have sufficient time to look at everything they wanted so returned for a second visit.

Along with information and pictures were two showcases of artefacts and some spine chilling surgical and medical instruments! The traditional nurses cap and cape on display drew many sentimental sighs as did the old rocking horse from the now closed Minor Injuries Unit.

Commentaries had been written on several years’ newspapers articles relating to Savernake, with themes emerging, such as the difficulties experienced in both World Wars

Savernake Cottage Hospital opened with 6 beds but this increased to 100 beds in the 1960’s – as Matron Blackwell remembered.  Miss Blackwell, then 105 years of age, visited the Exhibition on the final day. She sadly died on February 16th 2009 and the Exhibition had rather fittingly been her last outing.

Matron had enjoyed looking at the photos of nurses who had trained under her in the Pupil Nurse Training School.  In those days, there was a Nurses Home and Recreation Hall where regular events were held. It was a bustling and thriving hospital but the most common term used to describe it during the week was “a happy place”.

The musical collecting box, built as a miniature house, was remembered by many elderly patients. Pennies were put in the chimney and a small figure of a man would come out of the door and raise his hat whilst the music played. The organisers were loaned this treasure by Dr Nick and Kate Maurice but no one knew anything of its history. During the week Vonnie and Den Dickens arrived and immediately related some of the history.  The cottage was made by Jack Spratt from Wootton Rivers – famous as the maker of  the church clock in the village.

Later in the week one of Jack Spratt’s distant relatives came in with a poem written by this talented self educated man after he’d been an in-patient. Still more information surfaced – and a story of how his kidney stone was removed at Savernake Hospital, and saved as his request, to be used later as a clock pendulum!

Memories were added to the folders as the week progressed including an amusing story about the hospital donkey. He was in the habit of stopping at the Roebuck on his way into Marlborough, where the cart driver (and the donkey apparently) enjoyed a beer. Whilst being driven into town by the nurses one day, he refused to walk beyond the pub.  The donkey’s stubbornness was rewarded with the necessary drink of beer, whereupon he happily went on into town.

The most frequently asked question of the organisers was where the information and the pictures would be stored and if local people could access it.  Janet Louth and I are determined to find a permanent home where the files will be freely available to all, they are open to any ideas on how this may be achieved. We hope you enjoyed just a small selection of what was on show!

Community History Project for Savernake Hospital (1866 onwards)

The History Project opened on Saturday morning – Ray White, President of the Friends of Savernake did the honours at 10am and then the floodgates opened. It was beyond our hopes! Over 160 people signed the visitors book and those that didn’t generally had to run to retrieve their cars. We estimate that close on 200 people visited.

Our oldest visitor was 100 years, a lady of 88yrs caught the bus in from Swindon and gave us some wonderful memories, our youngest visitor was under 5 years. The musical box on the “Collecting Cottage” has amused young and old alike and the set of ancient instruments on loan from NHS Wiltshire has sent suitable shivers up everyone’s collective spines! Most people had not allowed enough time to sit and browse so have declared they will be back for a second look.

We had some lovely moments – relatives meeting up unexpectedly that hadn’t seen each other for years, nurses and patients recognising each other from way back and of course staff being re-united. Then old pictures started arriving to produce some really exciting moments – have attached one very ancient picture that will require a bit of work. The nurse at the back has a cat on her lap! We know what the donkey’s duties were, when he died and who drove the cart. Just need the name of that dear little fellow now to make the story complete. Any ideas?

That donkey again!

Further details: Janet Louth 01672 513868

If you want to leave us your memory, or a story about the hospital in times gone by, go to the Comments Page. We’ll include it in the project!

Savernake Cottage Hospital - go back to how we used to be? – Might be a bit uncomfortabe!

This exciting project will get underway in St Peter’s Church, Marlborough on Saturday 24th January open daily to Saturday 31st January 2009 (except  Sunday 25th). In 2009, it will be 150 years since the first Cottage Hospital opened in England – Savernake is thought to be the third and opened in 1866, although the hospital where it stands today was originally built in 1871 when they quickly ran out of space.

This will be an exciting project and we need you to spread the word about it.  If you’ve been in the area for some time you will doubtless have some photographs, documents and memories of Savernake in the old days.

We would like everyone who has photos, documents, letters or anything else they can find about Savernake Hospital, to bring them along.  Turn out the cupboards or loft – we want to see what you have and hear your stories.  Come to St Peter’s between 10am-4pm, there will be people to talk to, lots to look at and old newspapers to read.

Any ideas who these people are?

If you have precious documents or photos – you might like to bring a photocopy of them rather than the original – details available of what to do in Quality Stationers, Hughenden Yard Marlborough.  If you have memories or stories – come and tell us.  If your family have lived in the area for a long time – you may find your ancestors mentioned – we’ve done lots of research and turned up many local names.

Our display boards will hold lots of fascinating material – but there will be gaps on them just waiting for you to fill.  But of course – if you don’t have anything you are just as welcome to come and look! You may find a photo of yourself if you came to the Torchlight Rally the night the MIU closed. We’d be delighted if you’d help us out by reading some of the old newspapers on display and book marking the pages where there is a Savernake Hospital story.

We hope to see you in St Peter’s in the last week of what is usually the miserable month of January – it’s a warm building with a great café and I’ve heard that quite a few nurses who trained at Savernake under Matron Blackwell might be calling in!  It probably won’t be a quiet week!

AND….  can anyone please tell us about the hospital donkey?

Email: Val Compton and let her know.

Or contact: Janet Louth 01672 513868

Fantastic Resource in Chippenham which holds a huge amount of data and old newspapers
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/heritage

Also mentioned here;
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=658&page=53