I am looking for information about the old Royal Infirmary, I know that there are some general threads but they do not tell me what I need to know.

I need to know if anyone remembers the Miners Welfare Block at the hospital and whether it went by any other name. I believe that it was named after my great great grandfather.

I am not going to name him here because it may influence the information or memories of people reading this. However, I would be very grateful for any information any one can give. I have no memory of the hospital as I was raised outside of sheffield but another of my relatives was a nurse there.

Also, does any one know of any good websites etc which may help me find out some more information about the layout and history of the hospital ?

Thank you in advance.

Hi, My wife trained at the Royal Infirmary in the mid 1960's but can't remember a block being named after anyone. As far as she can recall the blocks were just named ENT etc etc.
I see that Sheffield Archives have all the Infirmary records of buildings, minute books etc so I suggest you contact them

I worked at the Royal Infirmary from 1976 until 1979 when it closed (bo hoo)- I loved working there.
As with the previous post I don't recall any blocks having names. The wards were similarly numbered, rather than given names as at the Royal Hospital were wards had names like Pye-Smith, Edgar Allen etc- so could you be confusing the two hospitals.
The blocks at the Infrmary were- the Admin block, now the Norwich Union building- the surgical block (including A & E), now Tescos supermarket- the ENT block right at the back which was demolished - the round house (out-patients), which I'm not sure is still there or not- Centenary house (the nurses home, and still standing), and a block in the middle were pharmacy used to be- then the old medical block, the doctors mess, wards 2 and 11 which were built in the sixties and then knocked down.
The old gate house remains.
I wish you luck, and it would be good to hear from anyone else who has fond memories of the old Infirmary- they are worth preserving!

Being interested in local history I have a small file on the Royal Infirmary, but nothing of much interest apart from three early-1900s postcards - see: http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/RoyalInfirmary.jpg

I also spent three months there in 1972, shortly after my motorcycling career had come to an abrupt end at a crossroads.... I cannot say which part of the Infirmary had been the Miners' Welfare block, but I do recall that one block, now demolished, at the back (near the "round house") was named after a Ronald Matthews.

The "round house" (which can be seen at the left side of the lower postcard view) is still there as it is a listed building, as are the Admin and Surgical blocks, as jomarch wrote. The hospital first opened in 1797 as the "Sheffield General Infirmary", and Centenary House was so called because it was built in 1897, at the time of the hospital's centenary, when it became known as the Sheffield Royal Infirmary.

Am I getting two hospitals confused ? was there a royal hospital in sheffield as well as the royal infirmary ? it was definitely the miners welfare block.

thank you for the replies so far.

The Royal Hospital was on West Street - the Royal Infirmary was/is on Infirmary Road - two completely separate hospitals - both of which closed in ?1978 when the Royal Hallamshire Hospital opened its doors to in patients.

Like another contributor, I worked at the Royal Infirmary until closure. The Miners Welfare Block was known by that name. I am unaware of it being named after a person

Thank you for the replies. I do not know which of the two hospitals is was then. I was not aware that they both existed.

As far as I know, my relative was a miner who then became a sort of intermediary between the hospital and the miners and who arranged for treatment for the miners when necessary.

This would have been in the very early 1900's I would think though.

The Round House was where you went for your outpatients appointments - I used to have my eyes tested there. Had my tonsils out there and we were laid on mattresses on the floor each child given a teddy for company - ice cream afterwards. Also went there for my chest problems - the consultant was Mr Chesterman (very appropriate) This was all in the 50's and 60's

The full title of the hospital on West Street was The Queen's Royal Hospital.

I trained at the Royal infirmary 1939 - 1940. The miners welfare block was the theatre block at the royal hospital on West Street.

I was a patient at the Royal Infirmary in the mid 60s. I was on a dermatology ward. A lot of patients with psoriasis. I had a bad medicinal drug allergy that among other things, caused problems with my skin. In those days patients could smoke in the ward but not in bed. I remember one day I thought I'd sneak a cig in bed. Of course, I fell asleep. Was awaken by a nurse shaking me and yelling at me to get out of bed. The mattress had caught fire. In retrospect the scalding I got from the staff was amazingly mild. They should have thrown the book at me.

The Round House was where you went for your outpatients appointments - I used to have my eyes tested there. Had my tonsils out there and we were laid on mattresses on the floor each child given a teddy for company - ice cream afterwards. Also went there for my chest problems - the consultant was Mr Chesterman (very appropriate) This was all in the 50's and 60's

I wonder if the "Dr Chesterman" is the Chesterman that one of the wings of the Northern General Hospital, or whether it's more likely that it is (Rabone) Chestermans it's named for.

The NGH has wings named for the Industrial "Greats" of Sheffield, such as Hadfield, Huntsman, Firth, Vickers;- hmmm...

Another memory of the Royal Infirmary. Sunday dinner, they used to come around with Guinness and Mackeson. You could choose either..gratis.

Do they still drink Mackeson btw? Last time I visited I asked at the bar for one and the barman said to me "You must have been away a long time." He must have thought I'd come out of the slammer. Bit off topic I know.

The Miner's Welfare Block was part of the Royal Hospital on West St. As far as I can remember (Student there 1960-63 and staff 1966) it was the part built in the 1930s which contained "new" theatres (Mr Blacow Yates and Co!) and overlooked the back yard. "old theatre" was the preserve of Mr J Anderson and Co. I have a colour photo of the latter but not the former.

I worked at Infirmary between 78-79,worked at Royal before when I qualified !
I worked on 15/16 ENT and loved it ! Maggie Phipps now Watts was senior sister ! I loved it at Infirmary ! Remember having to phone other staff to check me controlled drugs as I was Enrolled Nurse and couldnt check them !
Dermatology was above there and we used to take it in turns in staying open at Xmas !

Is your relations name on this script?http://www.chrishobbs.com/sheffield/royalhospitalsheffield.htm

I wonder if the "Dr Chesterman" is the Chesterman that one of the wings of the Northern General Hospital, or whether it's more likely that it is (Rabone) Chestermans it's named for.

The NGH has wings named for the Industrial "Greats" of Sheffield, such as Hadfield, Huntsman, Firth, Vickers;- hmmm...

Reckon you are right PT.I seem to remember going to Chestermans ward and seeing some kind of old heart bypass machine on show and a referance to Dr Chesterman.(maybe he was a pioneer? ) Dident take notice but wish i had now...

I worked at Infirmary between 78-79,worked at Royal before when I qualified !
I worked on 15/16 ENT and loved it ! Maggie Phipps now Watts was senior sister ! I loved it at Infirmary ! Remember having to phone other staff to check me controlled drugs as I was Enrolled Nurse and couldnt check them !
Dermatology was above there and we used to take it in turns in staying open at Xmas !

I worked on this ENT ward during my training- would have been 1976- have some great stories about patients sending out for fish and chips during visiting times and once mistaking the consultant for a porter!
I loved the Infirmary too- happy days!

.................Blacow Yates!! Thats name from the past!! How many of the 'old' consultants can you name?

Outside one the hospitals, I think on West St, were,nt there wooden cobbles on the road originally to lessen the noise from the wheels of passing traffic ?

I had my appendix out in 1953, I remember three nurses who worked there, Sister Jones, Nurses Daintith and Wilkinson, Wilkinson was a student nurse who used to change my dressing, I always had an erection when I knew she was going to change my dressing but it vanished as soon as she pulled back the bedding, thank god.

I did my training in 76,but did it at Royal then moved to Infirmary when Royal shut ! Loved both ! Have loads of happy memories x

I also had my tonsils out there, and was laid on a blanket on the floor. Later I went to work there as a darkroom tech, before mooving on to the Hallamshire (before it took in inpatients)

I am looking for information about the old Royal Infirmary, I know that there are some general threads but they do not tell me what I need to know.

I need to know if anyone remembers the Miners Welfare Block at the hospital and whether it went by any other name. I believe that it was named after my great great grandfather.

I am not going to name him here because it may influence the information or memories of people reading this. However, I would be very grateful for any information any one can give. I have no memory of the hospital as I was raised outside of sheffield but another of my relatives was a nurse there.

Also, does any one know of any good websites etc which may help me find out some more information about the layout and history of the hospital ?

Thank you in advance.
Try enquiring at the local studies library at the central library or pose your question on Sheffield Indexers site or Sheffield Records on Line site, or Sheffield and District Family History site.

I worked on this ENT ward during my training- would have been 1976- have some great stories about patients sending out for fish and chips during visiting times and once mistaking the consultant for a porter!
I loved the Infirmary too- happy days!

I worked there in 1976 - it was a very dirty hospital - it wouldn't be allowed these days.

We lived directly across the road from the infirmary. My grandad who was a porter got a letter of recommendation for volunteering to do something above and beyond his duties during an air raid but cant remember what it was.
I was five years old when I got ten stitches in my wrist at that hospital for being enterprising enought to put my hand through a plate glass window

Hi. I also trainned at the Royal Hospital 1973 - 1975. Loved it - but hard work! Lots of happy memories.