Laying the foundation stone. Rotherham Hospital and Dispensary.

Date:
[1870]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Laying the foundation stone. Rotherham Hospital and Dispensary. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    ber, 1867, when a meeting was held at the Mechanics’ Hall, and another committee appointed to further the desired object. This committee met on January, 2nd, 1868, and after passing a resolu- tion as to the desirability of erecting an infirmary in the neighbourhood of Rotherham, decided upon attempting to raise £6,000 for that purpose, and appointed sub-committees to make inquiries as to a suitable site, and to receive subscriptions. Con- siderable progress was made during that month, both as regards the site and the constitution of the proposed new hospital; and a magnificent subscription of £1,000 towards the building fund promised by Miss Nightingale, of Kotherham, gave a vigorous impulse to the movement. On the 6th of March, in the same year, a largely attended meeting, presided over by Earl Fitzwilliam, was held in the Mechanics’ Hall, to learn the feeling of the inhabitants upon the matter. At this meet- ing it was unanimously decided to proceed with the undertaking. A fresh start was then made, and the reorganised committee, of which Mr. Yates was appointed chairman, Mr. Guest, vice- chairman, and Mr. John Barras hon. sec., went vigorously to work. It was again decided to raise the sum of £6,GOO, and £1,500 was fixed upon as the maximum amount to be expended in the pur- chase of a site. THE SITE OF THE BUILDING. A piece of land situated at St. Ann’s Hill, Kotherham, engaged the attention of the com- mittee, but when they were about making a pur- chase another and more suitable site was intro- duced to their notice. This was a piece of land, four acres in extent known as Babb’s Croft, situated on the right hand side of the Doncaster - road, opposite the Congregational Church. It was the joint property of the Earl of Effingham and Lord Howard, and was valued at nearly £700 more than the committee had arranged to expend in the purchase of a site. This difference, however, the generous owners offered to contribute as their subscription to the building fund, and before the end of October, 1868, the land in question became the chosen site. The next task was the selection of a suitable design for the new building. Archi- tects were invited to compete, three prizes amount- ing altogether to more than £100 being offered by the committee. The succesful competitors were Messrs. Mallinson and Bakewell, of Leeds ; the second prize being awarded to Messrs. A. Crombie and Sons, Dumfries ; and the third to Messrs. Hill and Swann, of Leeds and Sheffield. The contract was subsequently let to Messrs. Askew Brothers, Parkgate, for £4,680 ; the original estimate of the architects £5,197 having been reduced by £517, A description of the building has already appeared in the Advertiser.
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