Milldam Hospital, Portsea

[nhclark]

Does anyone have any information on the Milldam Hospital, Portsea, Hampshire, or any pointers as to where I could find information on same?

I know that it was in existence in the mid-19th century, but I'm not sure whether it continued to operate into the First World War period.

Is there a history of the place somewhere?

Any information gratefully received.

Thank you,

Noel

[keithmroberts]

Noel

I don't recall any mention of it in the book "Portsmouth and the Great War" which was published shortly after the war by the local newspaper.

The building looks as if it still exists to judge by the photo on this link:

http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/contact/univ...ingsg-m/#mildam

Googling on Milldam building brings up a few references. I will be tied up this weekend, but if you don't make any further progress can have a dig in the local reference library or archives sometime in mid to late May. I will also consult a pal who is more into local history, and perhaps Dianne whi is working on some local hospital history might know more.

Keith

[Sue Light]

Noel

Where did you get the reference to 'Mildam Hospital' - what's the context? At the turn of the century there were various military hospitals in Portsmouth, but as far as the Army went there was the Station Hospital, the Isolation Hospital, and the Women's Hospital, all near to each other and in the rough area you require. I think there were also barracks at Milldam. They would have been built around the middle of the nineteenth century, and I don't think from descriptions I have that any of them could be the building in the link given by Keith - that building is far too good-looking. The following comes from TNA WO30/133.

Sue

REPORT ON STATION HOSPITAL, PORTSMOUTH, INCLUDING ISOLATION HOSPITAL

Visited on 26th November, 1902, by the Director-General and Mr. Fripp.

Equipped for 129 beds.

Medical Officer in charge, Lieut.-Colonel Dempsey.

Situation, good and convenient.

Structure of Station Hospital – solid and convenient, but gloomy, especially the staircases. The wards are contained in a three-storied oblong block; the offices are in separate small buildings.

The Isolation Hospital consists of a series of corrugated-iron and wood huts, conveniently arranged, quite adequate in size, structure, and fittings, and as they are subdivided into small wards the accommodation is easily distributed among the various infectious diseases in the two sexes, as the occasion demands.

Water supply, said to be excellent.

Lighting, good by day, except on the staircases; inadequate and inconvenient by gas.

Wards – The floors are old and of soft wood. Most of the wards have 10 beds. There are five smaller wards which are sometimes used for serious cases, but no definite plan of separating these from the slight cases has been adopted. The ventilation is good, and the warming, by open fires, adequate. The old low bedstead of iron frame and canvas is in use, and has been made more presentable than usual by a coating of white paint. The ward equipment is inadequate, and should be improved and brought up to date, as recommended in the reports upon the Cambridge and York Hospitals.

There being no accommodation for sick Officers they are sent to Netley.

Sanitary Blocks – Bad; arranged and fitted in an obsolete manner. There is no steam disinfector in the hospital, nor any destructor. We understand that the hospital is condemned, and a new one is in course of erection upon another and better site.

Operating Theatre has recently been rendered quite good in structure and appointments.

Laboratory and Clinical Pathology does not exist.

Mortuary and ante-room are new and excellent.

Balconies are available for the upstair wards, and as a means of escape from fire.

Stores were all in good order, but they afford instances of obnoxious arrangement [e.g., pack store, clean linen store, and soiled linen room, are in one small building, subdivided by wooden partitions], which it is to be hoped will not be perpetuated in any new hospital.

Kitchen is quite good and well kept.

Dispensary is quite good and well kept.

There are six Nursing Sisters.

General remarks. – The general condition of cleanliness, neatness, and good order, reflects credit upon the Officer in charge, but if it were intended to continue in use this hospital we should feel obliged to recommend considerable alterations in the structure and fittings.

W. TAYLOR, D.G.

A. D. FRIPP

10th December, 1902.

REPORT ON THE PORTSMOUTH HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Visited on 26th November, 1902, by the Director-General and Mr. Fripp, without notice.

Equipped for 15 beds; average number of patients, 10; number on day of visit, 6.

The Medical Officer in Charge was not in the hospital at the time of our visit, which, as above stated, was without notice. We were received by the resident Matron, and were very favourably impressed with the grasp she had of her duties, and of the good order and cleanliness throughout the institution.

Situation – Adjoining the Portsmouth Station Hospital, in connection with which some of the departments are worked.

Structure – Brick; in good repair, upon the plan of a one-storied pavilion. Internal alterations and repairs have recently been carried out, and have made it quite an excellent little hospital, whose chief needs are a dependable supply of trained nursing service, and the outlay of a little money upon its w.c. and lavatory arrangements.

W. TAYLOR, D.G.

A. D. FRIPP

10th December, 1902.

[keithmroberts]

I have just double checked the local volume mentioned earlier, and Milldam is not mentioned at all; the building used by the University does appear to be part of the Milldam Barracks, as is Milldam House which is now the local registry office.

The book does refer to other properties in the city which were used in the 5th Southern General Hospital, such as Oatlands, and Branksmere which were large private homes made available by local gentry. I feel sure that a hospital near to the barracks would have had a mention.

Keith

[Terry_Reeves]

I have a feeling that this was the old Garrison Hospital which was built near the Milldam Barracks in the mid-nineteeth century. Like Keith, I can find no reference to it during WW1.

TR

[Sue Light]

Station Hospital, Portsmouth, was the Garrison Hospital, I believe, as in other towns/cities. All military hospitals were inspected in 1901-2 (75 I think) and a great many of them did not meet the new standards and were given the chop - Station Hospital, Portsmouth probably didn't survive into the second decade of the century.

Sue

[nhclark]

Many thanks for the help on this.

I have come up with only two real references to this place:

http://books.google.com/books?id=1eASAAAAY...;as_pt=ALLTYPES

and

http://books.google.com/books?id=_PUSAAAAY...;as_pt=ALLTYPES

I think that I can conclude that this hospital did not survive long past the mid-1800s. I was hoping that if it had survived into the First World War that we might have more of a history of it.

Noel

[keithmroberts]

Noel

The only other thought that I have is that there may be references to the Hospital in some of the various trade directories. the Kelly's in particular tended to include some descriptions of military facilities. i'll try to keep a note to check when I next have an opportunity to visit the reference library now that we have a date to work from.

Keith

[nhclark]

Keith, what a very good idea!

I just looked, for starters, at Kelly's 1911 Directory on-line at http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/

There are references to Mill Dam Barracks, then occupied by the Royal Engineers, on pages 314, 317 and 318. These were in Lion Terrace.

On page 317 under "Military and Naval Hospitals" there is listed the "Military Families' Hospital" in Lion Terrace. I don't know whether this is the same place as the "Mill Dam Hospital" or not.

There are some other potentially-useful Hampshire directories on the web-site - I'll work back through them and see what turns up. Doesn't take long once you know what you're looking for.

Noel

[nhclark]

Going further, I came across the following: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stephen.pomer...al/hospital.pdf

I have also found, via Google, several few references to the "Military Station Hospital" in Lion Terrace.

Are (were) all these hospitals in Lion Terrace one and the same?

Noel