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London Metropolitan Archives

SAINT NICHOLAS' HOSPITAL, PLUMSTEAD


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): H20/NIC

Held at: London Metropolitan Archives

Title: SAINT NICHOLAS' HOSPITAL, PLUMSTEAD

Date(s): 1874-1982

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 10.5 linear metres

Name of creator(s): Saint Nicholas Hospital xx Woolwich Union Infirmary | Woolwich Union Workhouse xx Plumstead and District Hospital

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The earlier records in this list relate to the Woolwich Union Infirmary, this was the infirmary for the Woolwich Union workhouse. On 2nd April 1870, the foundation stone for the new Woolwich Union workhouse was laid by the Revd Francis Cameron. It bore the inscription "The poor ye have always with you". The workhouse was situated at Tewson Road, between Skittles Alley (now Riverdale road) and Cage Lane (now Lakedale Road) at the south side of Plumstead High Street, and was designed by the firm of Church and Rickwood. In 1872, a separate infirmary was erected to the south of the workhouse. The new buildings consisted of three ward blocks with central staff quarters, kitchens, stores, offices and committee rooms. The wards included accommodation for children and maternity patients, and a special sick bay for vagrants from the casual ward at Hull Place at the north of the workhouse.

In the 1920s, the workhouse became known as the Woolwich Institution, and the infirmary as the Plumstead and District Hospital. In 1930, following the formal end of the workhouse system, control of the site passed to the London County Council. It was then renamed Saint Nicholas' Hospital and, at that time, had 320 beds. In World War Two, the whole of the northern block was destroyed by in a single bomb attack. In 1945, the hospital suffered further damage from a flying bomb.

After the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, the Hospital was administered by the Woolwich Group Hospital Management Committee. There were 350 beds including 23 beds for maternity cases from the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies. A new Casualty Department was opened in 1965.

In 1974 the Health Service was reorganised and the Hospital came under the control of the Greenwich and Bexley Area Health Authority (later Greenwich Health Authority). In 1986 the Hospital was closed as part of a NHS rationalisation scheme, and the site has been completely redeveloped.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of Saint Nicholas' Hospital, Plumstead, 1874-1982, including admission and discharge registers, creed registers, registers of operations, casualty registers, birth and death registers, mortuary registers, war casualties registers and other registers relating to the treatment of patients, chaplain's report books and medical superintendant report books.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

These records are arranged according to a classification of hospital records: A - Hospital administration, B - Patients' administration, C - Matron's Office and Nursing Staff, D - Finance, E - Endowments, F - Legal papers, Y - Related documentation, ph - photographs and prints.

Conditions governing access:

These records are open to public inspection, although under section 5(4) of the 1958 Public Records Act administrative records are closed for 30 years and patient records for 100 years.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright: Depositor

Physical characteristics:

Fit

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

ACC/2356

ALLIED MATERIALS

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related material:

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: February 2009


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Hospital administration | Hospitals | Health services
Hospital patients | People by roles | People
Workhouses | Buildings | Architecture
Medical institutions

Personal names

Corporate names
Saint Nicholas Hospital x Woolwich Union Infirmary | Woolwich Union Workhouse x Plumstead and District Hospital
Woolwich Group Hospital Management Committee

Places
Plumstead | London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe
Woolwich | London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe
Greenwich