Building record MDR10482 - Derby Royal Infirmary, London Road, Derby
Type and Period (1)
- GENERAL HOSPITAL (Georgian to 21st Century - 1810 AD? to 2050 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The Derby Royal Infirmary replaced the old General Infirmary on the same site on London Road in the 1890s. The site was originally part of the Castlefield estate, acquired in 1806. Before the advent of the Health Service the hospital was run by trustees and each summer Hospital Day was held to raise money for the institution. (1)
Derbyshire Royal Infirmary founded 1810. Nightingale Wing 1869 by H I Stevens. Main part of the infirmary, built c.1890, is gradually being replaced by new buildings. The Victorian hospital is red brick, Jacobean style, originally with a gabled central block with two detached wings faced with stone loggias, and corner towers with ogee caps. (2)
The Derbyshire General Infirmary in London Road, Derby, was both funded and apparently also designed by William Strutt, with the help of a local architect, and built 1806-10. It was a functional building well ahead of its time, with comfortable furnishings and modern equipment and many of its more ingenious features would have derived from Strutt's experience with the iron-frame mills at Belper. It was described by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, who was taken to see it in 1826: "Visited the famous Infirmary with Mr Strutt, fine, pleasant building in every way. Magnificent staircase. The steps faced with lead plates. The famous hot-air heating, water-closet with shutters, movement of air in and out of the rooms, the stale air is drawn off by a rotating ventilator on the roof…". Schinkel sketched the ground plan and section of a sanitary facility in his journal, describing how the ventilation system worked. (3)
Foundation stone laid in 1891 by Queen Victoria. The four remaining pavilion hospital buildings with domes are of a debased early English Renaissance / Jacobean style. The former arcade linking the buildings is now incorporated into the site and much altered. None remaining of original infirmary of the early 19th C. Designed by Hall and Young London. Devonshire House was built in the late 19th C as a nurses’ home, and extended substantially in the early 20th century with a new wing of a similar design facing Bradshaw Way. Jacobean style and three storeys with repetitive gables with ball finials, and twin and triple plain sash windows with central stone mullions and stone surrounds. Stone pedimented doorcase at original entrance on southwestern elevation. Wide rectangular repetitive chimneys which have not been altered. Built just after construction of the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary main hospital. (4)
Historic building recording and photographic record undertaken of standing buildings. (5, 6, 7)
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SDR19698 Bibliographic reference: Craven, M. 1996. The Illustrated History of Derby Suburbs. p 72.
- <2> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. p 188.
- <3> SDR19812 Bibliographic reference: Schinkel, K F (edited by Bindman, D & Riemann, G). 1993. 'The English Journey', Journal of a Visit to France and Britain in 1826.
- <4> SDR21254 Bibliographic reference: Derby City Council. 2010. City of Derby Local List. p 21.
- <5> SDR23489 Unpublished document: Mora-Ottomano, A (ARS). 2013. Derbyshire Royal Infirmary Hospital, Derby, Volume 1: Historic Building Recording of 31 Buildings at Levels 1 and 2.
- <6> SDR23490 Unpublished document: Mora-Ottomano, A (ARS). 2014. Derbyshire Royal Infirmary Hospital, Derby, Volume 2: Historic Building Recording Level 3 of Buildings 28, 38, 43 and 83.
- <7> SDR23491 Unpublished document: Mora-Ottomano, A (ARS). 2014. Derbyshire Royal Infirmary Hospital, Derby, Volume 3: Historic Building Recording of Level 3 Buildings 41, 45, 49, 57 and 66.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 35715 35510 (419m by 510m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DERBY, DERBY, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR3964
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jul 19 2023 12:36PM