Builth Cottage Hospital, A Centenary History 1897-1997, by Gwen Davies
Foreword | Acknowledgements | Prologue Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6
Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 |
Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Epilogue
The League of Hospital Friends, by Betts Pugh
Builth, Queen of the Wye, by Jim Davies
Chapter Three - "THE NEW HOSPITAL"
With the “Foundation Stone Ceremony” over, the building
continued apace, with, no doubt, plenty of advice being offered
by the local inhabitants. One can imagine the frenzy of activity
which took place, with every piece of equipment, the bricks, slates
and tons of stone having to be transported up the hill by gambo. Having
in recent years watched the erection of four of the most prodigious
buildings in the town, namely the Market Hall complex, the Strand
Hall, the Intermediate School and the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel,
it was understandable that the men of Builth felt fully equipped
to offer sound advice on all aspects of building, tiling, plumbing
and carpentry. However, in spite of the “expert” advice
being given by onlookers, such was the progress made by the contractor
that, by 3rd July 1896, he was entitled to receive the first installment
of payment amounting to £380.
Tenders had also been received for the installation of a hot water
system. The lowest figure received from Mr W E Dixon of Builth
was the one recommended for acceptance, and the Secretary was instructed
to prepare an agreement between Mr Dixon and the Trustees immediately.
The next item to be discussed was the important question of lighting. The
Committee members, wishing to be completely up-to-date, decided
to meet with Capt. Harcourt-Wood and consult with him about the
possibility of installing electricity. Capt Harcourt-Wood
had recently moved to his new home at Caerberis which was lit by
electricity.
The Trustees were now satisfied that the Building Committee was
keeping a careful eye on progress, the main contractor had everything
well in hand, so they now turned their attention to selecting a
Matron for the hospital. They met on September 6th for this
purpose. Six applications had been received for the post
of Matron but after much thought and consideration they were unable
to make a decision and no appointment was made. They did,
however, decide to ask the applicants to send a photograph
of themselves, to help with the election, and the meeting was adjourned
until 11th September.
The photographs duly arrived, were scrutinized
and placed in order of preference by Mr Evan Owen and Mr W G Price,
who were the only two members to attend the meeting. These
two gentlemen decided to offer the post to a Miss Hardwick, after
obtaining the agreement of the Misses Powell. Unfortunately
the following day, Miss Hardwick withdrew her name and the post
was offered to the lady whose name appeared next on their list. This
was a Miss Esther Hind who accepted the appointment at a salary
of £30 per annum, and agreed to take up her duties in readiness
for the opening of the Hospital which had been fixed for 27th October
1897.
The next task was to draw up the rules and bye-laws for the hospital,
these were patterned on those used at the Llandrindod Hospital
which had proved to be satisfactory.
The name was to be “Builth Cottage Hospital”
Patients Fees to be – 2/6 per week for those residing in
the Builth Union Area.
5/- per week for patients outside that area.
30/- per week for private Patients.
The cost of the actual building, furnishings and the laying out
of the grounds was £2,738.0 0d.
The balance of the money from
the original £6,000 was used to start an Endowment Fund. This,
together with the sum of £340, which had been collected in
the town as a result of the various events held to commemorate
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, was a considerable amount,
and was a practical expression of the tremendous importance and
affection with which local people regarded, what they rightly considered
to be “their” hospital. The Endowment Fund was
used to realise an annual income for running expenses. Members
of the committee each gave an annual donation and all their services
expertise, time and effort were given without renumeration.
The 27th October, 1897 was the date fixed for the opening ceremony
and as the day approached the excitement in the town grew even
greater. So much thought, imagination, hard work and effort
had been put into the project, the whole community had a stake
in its welfare and were justifiably proud of what had been achieved
in such a short time.
Miss Esther Hind, the appointed Matron, had taken up her duties
a few days before the opening in order to supervise the furnishings
and the laying out of the wards.
The Committee members, having satisfied themselves that they had
completed their work with regard to the building and the laying
out of the grounds, proceeded to ensure that everything was in
the readiness for the Grand Opening Ceremony.
THE OPENING OF BUILTH COTTAGE HOSPITAL 27TH OCTOBER 1897
The entire town of Builth and the surrounding district had been
involved in the Hospital project which was to mark a new era in
the history of the area and would change the whole ethos of medical
provision for all its people. So one can imagine with what
eager anticipation the day of the 27th October was greeted by everyone.
As on “Foundation Stone” day, the sun shone brightly,
again it was a Wednesday, ensuring a large crown of interested
onlookers, made up of all the local dignitaries, Hospital Trustees,
committee members, contractors and workmen and the numerous people
who had worked so diligently over the previous months to raise
funds. The gentry came in their carriages, the farming community
on horseback and the townsfolk trudged up the ill as they had done
in June 1896 to observe the laying of the Foundation Stones. Then,
they had stood in a bare field; now, on this sunny October day,
the delighted crowd saw the fruits of their combined efforts in
the handsome building which confronted them, carrying the name
“BUILTH COTTAGE HOSPTIAL”.
A correspondent wrote about the day as follows:
The day was beautifully fine and there seemed to be a certain
appropriateness in the time of year in which the ceremony took
place. In spite of the glory which nature clothes herself
in the autumn, the season is one which speaks of decay and death
which might be regarded as being the counterparts of sickness and
suffering. It seems well to be prepared for the approach
of winter, the season in which the hospitals and similar institutions
are most needed.
A brass plaque, now to be seen in the hospital entrance hall, bears
the following inscription:
THIS COTTAGE HOSPITAL WAS ERECTED AND
ENDOWED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DESIRE OF
THE LATE JOHN DAVIES OF WYESIDE BY
MARAGARET AND ELIZABETH POWELL 1897
Among the invited guests were; Miss Clara Thomas, Llwynmadoc,
Mr E D Thomas, Welfield; Mr and Mrs Gwynne Howell, Llanelwedd Hall;
Mr Evan Owen; C Venables Llewelyn Esq; Mr C W Woosnam, Rev Lewis
Beynon and, of course, the Missed Powell. All these guests
have direct descendents or family connection living in the district
today – 100 years later.
The proceedings were opened by Rev William Williams of Maesmynis
who referred to the advantages of having a Cottage Hospital and
how much such an institution was required in Builth. He again
acknowledged the debt the town owed to the late John Davies and
to the Misses Powell, and also to the towns people who had worked
so energetically to raise money for the hospital. He hoped
that all fundraising events would become annual affairs in order
to ensure continued revenue for this worthy cause. Speaking
on behalf of the committee he felt it was fair to say that they
had done a good job, they had overseen the building of a first
class, substantial hospital which would remain to serve the people
of Builth and District for many generations to come. But,
he added, “Except the Lord build the house, their labour
is but lost that build it”. Rev Williams then called
upon the Rev H A Crosbie, Vicar of Builth to ask the Blessing of
the Lord upon their efforts.
The Rev Crosbie then dedicated the Hospital !In the name of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost”.
The dedication was followed by a prayer offered by the Rev Lewis
Beynon, Minister of Horeb Congregational Church.
The assembled company then sang a hymn, the first verse of which
was:
Accept this building, gracious Lord,
No temple though it be;
We raised it for our suffering kin,
And so, good Lord, for Thee
Miss Clara Thomas, Llwynmadoc, was then
handed a key and was asked to perform the opening ceremony. Before
doing so she thanked everyone for asking her to take such a prominent
part in the proceedings. She felt that she had no right to
do so but that he ceremony should have been performed by one of
the two ladies who generosity had enabled the wish of the late
John Davies to be fulfilled. She felt unworthy of the honour,
but since the ladies had asked her to be their deputy she would
do so with great pleasure. She added that, together with
all the gentleman who had laboured with love to erect the hospital,
she trusted that, which they had inaugurated would continue to
prove a constant source of relief to the toilers and sufferers
who followed after them.
Miss Thomas concluded by saying that “In the name of the Misses Elizabeth
and Margaret Powell she had great pleasure in declaring the “Builth Cottage
Hospital” open. She then unlocked the door and the proceedings ended
with a vote of thanks being proposed by the Rev William Williams, seconded by
Mr Evan Owen. Everyone was invited to inspect the building and great satisfaction
was expressed with all the arrangements and facilities. The lift, which
was manually operated by staff pulling on ropes, was the source of much admiration
as, at that time it was considered to be the most up-to-date available. Unbelievably,
it was not until 1959 that this lift was replaced by one electrically operated!
A local newspaper, of the time, described the building, in detail
as:
The hospital, which has a frontage of 73 ft, is built of the best
Ruabon bricks (second quality bricks were used for the back), with
a frontage of dressed Victoria stone. The roof is tiled with
best Bangor slates. A prettily designed Verandah runs across
the front and around two sides of the building, adding materially
to its appearance. On the ground floor there are two separate
day wards for men and women, with a single ward at the back of
each, and the usual kitchen and offices. On the upper floor
there are night wards for men and women containing five beds each,
also bedroom accommodation for the nurses and a linen room, bathrooms
and lavatory. The building is heated throughout with hot
water pipes and is lit by gas. The lofty rooms are eleven
feet high and each room is supplied with an electric bell. The
sanitary arrangements are of the latest possible kind and on the
most approved principles. The heating arrangements were carried
out by Mr W E Dickson of Builth and the gas by Mr Tulk. The
painting was by Mr Grocock. The main Contractors were Messrs
T Jones and Mr J Price of Builth and the architect was Mr Telfer-Smith,
MSA.
Another correspondent to the paper added the following:
The site of the hospital is situated about quarter of a mile, from
the town on the Nantyrarian Road, on a commanding eminence, and is
approached through an ornamental gate by a well planned circular
drive. The whole of the joiners work has been constructed of
best pitchpine, stained and varnished. The design may best
be described as being a domestic character. The interior, however,
contained the latest improvements necessary for the economical and
convenient administration of the hospital. The building is
heated throughout by an independent hot water boiler. Each
room, together with the hall and corridors are provided with radiators,
and the rooms also have fireplaces.
A visitor to the hospital
will find that, having passed beneath the verandah, one will enter
a spacious entrance hall, 7ft wide, on the right of which is a committee
room and on the left a Matron’s room. Beyond this is
a corridor, on the right of which is a Day Room for females, with
a bay window carried right up to the roof. Beyond this is a
single-bed ward with isolated lavatory. The arrangements on
the opposite side of the corridor are exactly the same for males. The
Matron’s Store Room is entered from the corridor, while beyond
is a commodious surgery containing everything of the most improved
type. There is a lift to the first floor while in the rear
is the laundry, drying room and other offices, all attractively laid
out and neatly railed in. The first floor is approached by
a noble, well-lit staircase. The building work has been carried
out in a most satisfactory manner by Messrs Thomas Jones and John
Price, built from the design and under the supervision of the architect
Mr Telfer Smith of Builth.
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