THE MID-SUSSEX TIMES - TUESDAY, JULY 11, 1911
This (Tuesday) afternoon, at half past four, Mrs Jowers will lay the foundation stone of the King Edward VII Memorial Eliot Cottage Hospital at Haywards Heath, and all friends of the institution are invited to be present. The sum to be expended upon it is £3120, and all but £500 has been raised.
The Hospital has been planned upon the most up-to-date and approved principles, and the fullest advantage has been taken of the conditions of the site. It has been sought, as far as possible on some smaller scale, to obtain the various advantages of what is known as the “Pavilion system” in hospital planning– the system upon which all great up-to-date hospitals are designed– the chief and most obvious of such advantages being that light is secured on no less than three sides of the main wards, and in consequence, thorough cross ventilation is obtained.
The hospital in course of erection will provide 12 beds, disposed in 4 wards, each of which is entered from the main corridor on the ground floor. These wards are each amply lighted by sash windows, while at the distal ends of the two main wards of four and five beds respectively, double casement doors lead on to verandahs having a south aspect. The heating of the wards will be by means of approved open fireplaces of suitable hospital type, special ventilating flues being provided. Connected with the wards our sanitary spurs, which will be fitted up in the most up-to-date manner, and are thoroughly cross-ventilated.
The bathrooms, which open out of the main wards, are to have baths of the swing type, so that the position of the bath when in use may be that most convenient to nurses and patients. The portions of the hospital last described, as also the operating room, etc, will have patent jointless flooring, which may be easily washed down at any time. The operating room will be of a suitable size, well lighted by specially designed window on the north side, and will be provided with all necessary fittings. A recovery room adjoins.
The nurses’ duty room, containing a stove, sink, food cupboard (ventilated) dresser etc is placed off the main corridor on the north side, in a position as nearly as possible equi-distant from the main wards. A large store for patients' clothes and suitable heated linen cupboards are also provided.
The administrative portion of the hospital, the entrance to which forms the central feature of the main front, contains an entrance hall, staircase, nurses dining room (which will serve also as a committee room), and matron’s sitting room on the ground floor, while upstairs are bedrooms of good size, and well lighted, for the staff, with bath room, linen room, box room etc. The kitchen offices consist of a kitchen, scullery, two larders, pantry, matrons store etc and, Conveniently arranged on the north side of the hospital.
The tradesman's entrance is placed in close proximity to a new roadway which is being formed along the eastern boundary of the site, between the hospital and the adjoining almshouses. A heater chamber, coal store, toolhouse etc are placed under the scullery etc, advantage being taken of the natural fall of the land to secure this.
The architectural treatment of the building is simple, the materials externally employed being bricks only pleasing plum colour, carefully selected, stone (kindly presented to the hospital) from Sir William Grantham's quarry at Scaynes Hill being used for dressings and largely in the central bay of the front elevation. The roofs will be covered with carefully selected sand-faced tiles. Internally, all angles, both horizontal and vertical, are rounded; elaborate mouldings are avoided, and all materials selected with a view to cleanliness. The walls to wards, etc will be finished in washable sanitary distemper, while in bathrooms etc and around sinks, tiles and washable enamel will be used as required. The perspective view reproduced above will serve to convey a good general idea of the appearance the building will present on completion.
The architects are messrs Frederick Wheeler and Godman of Bank Chambers, Horsham, the builder being Mr Horace Finch of Haywards Heath.