Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital (colloquially called the Royal Bucks) was founded in 1832 in response to the cholera
epidemic
that swept across England
at that time. It is situated in Aylesbury
in Buckinghamshire
. The construction was based on the design of a stately home
to help dissociate the assumption at the time that hospitals were a place of death.
When it first opened treatment was received by payment only: admissions were only taken at 11 o'clock every morning (except Sundays) and if you hadn't paid your one guinea
a year subscription to the hospital (a kind of insurance to ensure treatment when it was needed) you were charged sixpence
on admission and were then required to pay a further guinea for further treatment. If you were too poor to pay these fees, you went to the workhouse
located on Bierton Hill (now the Tindal Centre
).
The current building dating from 1862 replaced an earlier building on the site. The design was influenced by Florence Nightingale
who had recently returned from the Crimea
and was the first pavilion style civilian hospital to be completed in the UK. Letters and sketches by her about the design are in the Bucks County Council
Reference Library.
Florence Nightingale also did a lot of fundraising for the hospital, keeping the admission fees low, ensuring the hospital was able to treat more people.
Originally called the Buckinghamshire Infirmary, it is thought that it became "Royal" after the future Edward VII
received treatment there after breaking a limb during a visit to the Rothschilds
at Waddesdon Manor
.
It was the main hospital
for the town of Aylesbury all the way through to 1948 when Stoke Mandeville Hospital
on the outskirts of town was expanded and took over that role. From that time it became a maternity
hospital until the early 1990s when a new maternity wing was opened at Stoke Mandeville.
The Royal Bucks, as it had become known, stood empty for a few years, before being renovated and turned into a private hospital for the treatment of spinal injuries. It is for this purpose that the hospital is used today.
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
that swept across England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at that time. It is situated in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The construction was based on the design of a stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
to help dissociate the assumption at the time that hospitals were a place of death.
When it first opened treatment was received by payment only: admissions were only taken at 11 o'clock every morning (except Sundays) and if you hadn't paid your one guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
a year subscription to the hospital (a kind of insurance to ensure treatment when it was needed) you were charged sixpence
Sixpence
Sixpence may refer to:*Sixpence *Sixpence *Sixpence *Flat cap, also called a sixpence*Sixpence None the Richer, an American pop/rock band...
on admission and were then required to pay a further guinea for further treatment. If you were too poor to pay these fees, you went to the workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
located on Bierton Hill (now the Tindal Centre
Tindal Centre
The Tindal Centre is a centre for the treatment of mental illnesses in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It includes a residential hospital for people with profound mental health difficulties and also counselling/therapy outpatient services...
).
The current building dating from 1862 replaced an earlier building on the site. The design was influenced by Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
who had recently returned from the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and was the first pavilion style civilian hospital to be completed in the UK. Letters and sketches by her about the design are in the Bucks County Council
Bucks County Council
Bucks County Council may refer to:*Buckinghamshire County Council, the administrative body governing the county of Buckinghamshire, England*Bucks County Council , a local council of the Boy Scouts of America...
Reference Library.
Florence Nightingale also did a lot of fundraising for the hospital, keeping the admission fees low, ensuring the hospital was able to treat more people.
Originally called the Buckinghamshire Infirmary, it is thought that it became "Royal" after the future Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
received treatment there after breaking a limb during a visit to the Rothschilds
Rothschild banking family of England
The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer von Rothschild who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London. Nathan was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
at Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild . Since this was the preferred style of the Rothschilds it became also known as...
.
It was the main hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
for the town of Aylesbury all the way through to 1948 when Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area to the south of the town of Aylesbury, near the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire...
on the outskirts of town was expanded and took over that role. From that time it became a maternity
Maternity
Maternity or motherhood is the social and legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a mother and her child.It is specially related with the protection of the baby and the mother within and after the childbirth.-See also:...
hospital until the early 1990s when a new maternity wing was opened at Stoke Mandeville.
The Royal Bucks, as it had become known, stood empty for a few years, before being renovated and turned into a private hospital for the treatment of spinal injuries. It is for this purpose that the hospital is used today.