PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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In January 1885 this 20-acre site, a part of the Higher Mount Gould Farm owned by a Miss Trick, was purchased by Plymouth Borough Council for £1,200 and wooden buildings were erected for an infectious diseases hospital. It was felt that the surrounding trees would be enough to shield anybody living outside the site from the diseases. What later became the Administration Block was formally opened in 1897 by the Mayor, Mr C H Radford, and Mr J H May, chairman of the Sanitary Committee. On the recommendation of the Tuberculosis Committee, during 1915 the Council adopted a scheme for the treatment of TB in the Borough. As it was considered that the best treatment was lots of fresh air, pavilions accommodating forty-two beds were to be provided at Mount Gould Isolation Hospital, with further long-stay facilities at Didworthy Sanatorium, at South Brent, and Udell Tor, at Yelverton. The Hospital was re-opened by their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of York on Tuesday May 24th 1932, when it became the Mount Gould Orthopaedic Hospital, treating patients with tuberculosis. As a result the Udal Torre Sanatorium at Yelverton was to be closed. Amongst those present were the Mayor of Plymouth; Alderman and Mrs H M Medland, chairman of the Public Health Committee; Miss Waterhouse, matron of the City Hospital; Miss Lipscombe, matron the Swilly Isolation Hospital; Miss Edis, matron of Udal Torre; Miss Lees, matron of the South Devon & East Cornwall Hospital; Miss Kenwell, matron of the Royal Albert Hospital; Miss Adams , matron of the Central Hospital; Miss Wilshere, matron of the Royal Eye Infirmary;and Miss Mitchell, matron of the Mount Gould Hospital. Messrs A N Coles (Contractors) Ltd started the construction work in October 1931, when the foundation stone was laid. The total value of his contract was £55,876. The buildings were not architecturally ornate but gave an impression of solidity and efficiency. The brick walls were covered with roofs of Delabole slate or, in the case of the flat roofs, by concrete and asphalt. The floors were of polished oak blocks. In the buildings that made up the original hospital much reconstruction had taken place. Ward A was to accommodate 44 male patients while ward B would provide facilities for 16 female patients, which could be increased to 32 if required. A further 24 females would be accommodated in ward C. An additional timber building housed ward D, which included the dining rooms, reading rooms, and occupational treatment facilities. The old laundry was still to be converted in to a central kitchen and dining room for the staff. The former kitchen wing was converted in to bedrooms for 32 nurses and 12 maids. The new orthopaedic block contains three wards capable of accommodating 120 patients. The central block held 10 male and 10 females. On either side are the children's wards, each taking 50 children and each with a teacher's room. There was a large solarium in to which the beds could be wheeled so that the patients could derive the fullest possible benefit from the rays of the sun. The southern side of the building could be opened to the sun and fresh air.
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