Chester Royal Infirmary
Encyclopedia
The former Chester Royal Infirmary is located in City Walls Road, Chester
, Cheshire
, England. The original hospital building has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
. Construction of the permanent building was started in 1758, and was completed in 1761. Over the years extensions were built, and by 1902 the hospital had 118 beds. The appellation "Royal" was added in 1914 when George V
opened the Albert Wood wing, which contained six new wards. During the 1990s patients were transferred to new facilities provided by the Countess of Chester Hospital
, and the infirmary closed. Other than the original building, all the later extensions were demolished in 1998. The original hospital building has been converted into apartments.
roofs. The entrance front faces City Walls Road. North and south wings stretch back to join an east wing to form a courtyard
; these wings contained the wards. The entrance front has two storeys plus cellars; the wards have three storeys plus attics and basements. The entrance front is in seven bays. A porch projects from the centre of the ground floor. It has two Doric
columns, and supports the middle three bays of the upper storey that form a cant
ed projection. Above the porch is a floor band and a segmental pediment
. Each bay of the upper storey contains a sash window
, that in the middle bay having a round-headed arch painted with "ERECTED 1761". Above the windows is a frieze
and a pedimented gable
with a plaque inscribed "INFIRMARY". Elsewhere all the windows are sashes, or French windows leading to balconies that have been removed.
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The original hospital building has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building.
History
The hospital was founded in 1755 following a bequest by Dr William Stratford, who had died two years earlier. It was funded by public subscriptions, and was free to patients who were recommended by the subscribers. It was originally housed in temporary accommodation in part of Bluecoat SchoolBluecoat School, Chester
The Blue Coat School is located in Upper Northgate Street, Chester, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.-History:Before the school was built, it was the site of a medieval hospital...
. Construction of the permanent building was started in 1758, and was completed in 1761. Over the years extensions were built, and by 1902 the hospital had 118 beds. The appellation "Royal" was added in 1914 when George V
George V
George V was king of the United Kingdom and its dominions from 1910 to 1936.George V or similar terms may also refer to:-People:* George V of Georgia * George V of Imereti * George V of Hanover...
opened the Albert Wood wing, which contained six new wards. During the 1990s patients were transferred to new facilities provided by the Countess of Chester Hospital
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
The Countess of Chester is the main NHS hospital for the Chester area with 625 beds. It was officially opened as such on 30 May 1984, but the accident and emergency wards were open from 1983, and a hospital has existed on site since 1829. Initially it was a mental health unit, called the 'Lunatic...
, and the infirmary closed. Other than the original building, all the later extensions were demolished in 1998. The original hospital building has been converted into apartments.
Architecture
The hospital is constructed in brown brick with stone dressings and has grey-green slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. The entrance front faces City Walls Road. North and south wings stretch back to join an east wing to form a courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
; these wings contained the wards. The entrance front has two storeys plus cellars; the wards have three storeys plus attics and basements. The entrance front is in seven bays. A porch projects from the centre of the ground floor. It has two Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns, and supports the middle three bays of the upper storey that form a cant
Cant
Cant, canting, or canted may refer to:*Empty, uncritical thought or talk - see *The slope or angle at which something is set, such as the frames of a ship's hull - again, see *Cant , a secret language...
ed projection. Above the porch is a floor band and a segmental pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Each bay of the upper storey contains a sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
, that in the middle bay having a round-headed arch painted with "ERECTED 1761". Above the windows is a frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and a pedimented gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
with a plaque inscribed "INFIRMARY". Elsewhere all the windows are sashes, or French windows leading to balconies that have been removed.