Malcolm Bull's Calderdale Companion : Foldout
The Royal Halifax Infirmary
When the old Halifax Infirmary became inadequate, the president,
John Whiteley Ward, looked at all hospitals in the country with a
view to providing a new and up-to-date building for the town.
The new Halifax Infirmary was built by
Benjamin Whitehead Jackson
/
Thomas Worthington of Manchester,
at Free School Lane on land purchased with money raised by the
sale of the old Infirmary and by donations and deeds of covenant.
10 subscribers, including,
George Watkinson
gave £1,000 for the building.
The total cost of construction was £72,625.
On 17th June 1893, the Right Honourable
William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe,
the Deputy Grand Master Mason of England, laid the memorial stone for
the new Infirmary.
The ceremony included many masonic officers and rituals.
The Infirmary was opened on
25th July 1896
by the Duke and Duchess of York – later King George V and Queen
Mary – during the same visit in which they opened the Borough
Market.
During his inaugural speech the Duke of York announced that Queen
Victoria had given her permission for the new hospital to be
named Royal – becoming the Halifax Royal
Infirmary – but the Duke (possibly mistakenly) named the
building the Royal Halifax Infirmary.
This name remained.
The wards are named after various benefactors.
Those marked ‡ were named for benefactors who had
donated at least £5,000 when the Infirmary was opened.
- Appleyard Ward ‡
Mrs Williams of Moor Park, Harrogate – daughter of
Joshua Appleyard – gave £5000 for the creation of
the Joshua Appleyard Ward when the Infirmary opened
- Baldwin Ward ‡
John and William Baldwin – the sons of John
Baldwin – gave £5000 for the creation of the Baldwin
Ward when the Infirmary opened
- Crossley Ward ‡
Sir Savile Brinton Crossley gave £5000 for the creation of
the Crossley Ward when the Infirmary opened
- Kitchenman Ward
In December 1924, the Linford Moore Kitchenman Maternity
Ward was built with money from the proceeds of a bequest by
Charles Kitchenman together with donations from a number of people,
including
Frank Lee JP [£2,000],
Sir Harold Mackintosh [£1,000],
and
Sir William Bulmer [£1,000].
The ward was opened by Princess Mary on 12th March 1925
- McCrea Ward ‡
Mrs Marke Wood of Liverpool – daughter of Henry Charles
McCrea – gave £5000 for the creation of the McCrea
Ward
- Porter Ward ‡
In 1899, Ellen and Elizabeth – daughters of Samuel
Porter – gave £6,000 towards the Porter Ward
- Rawson Ward ‡
Miss Constance Ellen Rawson and other members of the Rawson family
gave £5000 for the creation of the Rawson children's
Ward when the Infirmary opened.
The ward was named in memory of her father, William Henry
Rawson
- Ann Holt Balcony
In 1921, the Ann Holt Balcony an open-air children's ward
opened and was financed by £5,000 left by Ann Holt
- Simpson Ward
In 1933, Eliza & Jane Simpson gave money to establish
the Eliza & Jane Simpson Isolation Ward.
The ward was opened by the Princess Royal
- Arthur & Ada Ward
In 1938, Mrs Ada Ward gave £10,000 to build
the Arthur & Ada ward, in memory of her late
husband Arthur.
The ward opened in 1948
- Joseph Whitaker X-Ray Ward
In 1925, Joseph Whitaker gave money to establish the Joseph
Whitaker X-Ray Ward in memory of his father and of his son, who
had been killed in World War I.
The ward opened on 29th July 1925
- Open-air wards
There were 3 open-air wards, one for men, one for women and one for
children.
These opened on 24th October 1928
- Maternity ward
In 1923, a new maternity ward designed by Walsh & Maddock was added
- Orthopaedic Department
In 1925, a new orthopaedic department was equipped with funds of
£859 17s 3d from The Ex-Mayors of Halifax Fund
- Watkinson Theatre
In 1926, a new operating theatre designed by Walsh & Maddock was
added – supported by a gift of £5,000 from Samuel
Watkinson.
The theatre was formally opened on 20th October 1926 by Sir
Berkeley Moyniham, President of the Royal College of Surgeons
- Redman Pathology Laboratory
In 1928, the Redman Pathology Laboratory opened – paid for
by Ernest Shaw Redman, who had already given £10,000 towards
two of the open-air wards.
This opened on 24th October 1928
- Nurses' home
In 1928, a new nurses' home designed by Walsh & Maddock was built
- Princess Mary Ward
In 1933, a ward designed by Walsh & Maddock was built for private
patients.
The ward was named after the Princess Royal, who opened the
ward
The Royal Halifax Infirmary closed in 2001 and services were
transferred to the new Calderdale Royal Hospital.
The building has been redeveloped as apartments and is known
as The Royal.
Parts of the building, the Lodge and the boundary wall are listed
See
Isaac Kitson
©
Malcolm Bull 2017 /
[email protected]
Revised 09:03 on 19th August 2017 / mmr104 / 11