Genealogy Chat

I would like to find out more about this establishment. Was it the workhouse or hospital as it sounds. It is the census address for my great uncle on the only census he was recorded on though he should have been on 3.

Do a google search for it. There are some very good sites.

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?StSaviour/StSaviour.shtml

St Saviour Union infirmary was a workhouse situated in East Dulwich. It later became Dulwich Hospital and I worked there many years ago as a nurse. If you go to the workhouse site and type St Saviour Union Infirmary into the searchbox, you will find it. It was on Champion Hill, Dulwich - which is in south London.

ST. SAVIOUR'S UNION INFIRMARY, CHAMPION HILL. This infirmary has just been completed, and will shortly be opened. It is situated in East Dulwich-grove, near the Champion-hill station on the London and Brighton Railway, and is for the sick poor of the parishes of St. Saviour and St. George-the-Martyr, Southwark, and St. Mary, Newington, which three parishes constitute the St. Saviour's Union. The buildings stand on a piece of ground about seven acres in extent, having a frontage of 700 ft. towards East Dulwich-grove. The sick wards are arranged as shown on the block plan, with their axes placed north and south, the main front of the building, shown in the illustration, facing East Dulwich-grove. Accommodation is afforded for about 732 inmates. There are twenty-four large wards, to hold from twenty-six to thirty beds each, and twenty-four separation wards for two beds each, for cases which require isolation. The open balconies at the ends of the wards are large enough to allow of three or four patients being wheeled in their beds on to them. The warming of the wards is partly provided for by two double open fireplaces in the centre, with descending flues carried through the floors, and by fresh air brought from the outside through zinc tubes to the backs of the fires, where it is warmed before passing into the wards. In addition to these fireplaces there are two rows of hot-water pipes down each side of the ward. Gratings under each bed, with sliding traps, admit fresh air, which in winter is warmed as it passes over the hot pipes. There are six three-light gas pendants in each ward, having enamelled iron hoods which direct the products of combustion, and also the vitiated air from the wards, into tubes placed transversely above the ceilings. Each end of these is open to the air, and has a balanced flap, which closes at whichever end there is an inward pressure of air, leaving the other end open to allow of the egress of the heated air. The wards have glazed brick skirtings, 3 in. high, all round, and the floors will be waxed. The water-closets at the ends of the wards have Omer D. Ward's ' Household' closets, with water-waste preventing cisterns. The baths are of porcelain, and are detached from the walls, with a space of a few inches between them and the floor. The floors of the bath-rooms, water-closets, and lobbies, are paved with red tiles. There is a dado of glazed bricks, in cream and brown bands, round the walls. The lavatories in the bath-rooms were supplied by Messrs. Finch & Co., of Holborn. Cannon's hot-water radiators are placed in the bath-rooms, lobbies, and water-closets. Each of the ward blocks has an hydraulic bed lift, and two hand-power lifts for food, &c., manufactured by Messrs. Clark, Bunnett, & Co., of Deptford. Advantage has been taken of a fall in the ground from west to east to construct the end block (D), with a basement story of open piers and arches, allowing a free circulation of the air beneath the ground floor. The connecting corridors between the administrative block and the several ward blocks are 9 ft, wide. They are at the ground, first, and second floor levels.

The ground-floor corridors are enclosed, but have large windows, the sashes of which will open. The first-floor corridors are open, with an arcading at the sides to support the floor of the corridor over. The piers and arches of this arcade are of ornamental cement concrete, specially manufactured by the Imperial Stone Company, East Greenwich. The floors of the corridors are paved with asphalte. On the ground floors they have a border, on each side, of red tiles, about 2 ft. wide. The corridor on the ground floor of the administrative block is paved with ornamental tiles. Beneath the ground-floor corridors are lower ones, partly underground, extending from the coal-cellars to the ward blocks. In these are placed the gas, water, and steam mains, where they are more easily accessible than if they had been buried in the ground. There is also a tramway, of 20-in. gauge, for trolleys to convey coals, &c. By this means not only will a great saving of labour be effected, but the dirt and inconvenience arising from the passage of dirty clothes, coals, &c., through the building will be avoided. The administrative block is central. The west wing is the medical superintendent's house. It is connected with the main corridor on the ground-floor only. The east wing contains the committee-room, with bedrooms over for the matron, assistant matron, head nurses, &c. In the central portion of this block are situated various offices for the superintendent, clerks, and stewards, and matrons' sitting-rooms. Over these is the chapel. It is 70 ft. long, 28 ft. wide, and 28 ft. high to the apex of the ceiling, which is of plaster, wagon-shaped, and with ornamental wooden principals. There is a panelled dado of painted wood, 4 ft. high, round the walls. The west wing at the rear of the administrative block contains the stores on the ground floor, and in the east wing are the nurses' mess and day rooms. The basement, which extends under the centre and the two wings, contains extensive cellarage for beer, coals, &c., and larders. The kitchen is in the centre at the rear of the administrative block, on the ground-floor level. The cooking apparatus consists of four large steamers, a Warrenizer, two gas roasting-ovens, and gas hot-plates, soup and tea coppers, vegetable steamers, open range, &c. Bedrooms for about seventy nurses and servants are placed on the first and second floors of the east and west wings at the rear of the administrative block; these bedrooms are entirely detached from the main block. Communication with it is provided in case of fire by light iron bridges on the second floor. The laundry buildings consist of an officers' wash-house, 25 ft. long, 16 ft , wide, with laundry, 25 ft. by 21 ft. The patients' wash-house is 40 ft. long, 25 ft. wide. Adjoining it is a double drying-closet, containing thirty-two horses; and beyond is the laundry, 53 ft. long, 25 ft. wide; there is also a small wash-house for foul linen. Attached to each of the patients' wash-houses is a room for receiving the dirty clothes, and a delivery-room. Attached to each of the laundries are airing-rooms for the clothes

The steam washing-machines, wringers, and calendering machine, steam mangles, &c., were manufactured by Messrs. Clements, Jeakes, & Co., of Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, who also supplied the cooking apparatus. The Boiler House adjoins the laundries. There are three 'Lancashire' steam boilers, each 26 ft. long and 6 ft,. 6 in. diameter. The chimney-shaft is about 70 ft. high; it is octagonal, 5 ft. diameter at the top, and sands on a base 7 ft. square. There are two of Marshall's horizontal engines, 12-h.p. each. Hot water is laid on to all wash-up and slop-sinks, and to lavatory basins, the supply being obtained for them from Dudley steam water-heaters, which are placed in specially-constructed chambers under each ward-block, the steam being conveyed to the heaters from the boilers in pipes placed in the subways ; the steam-pipes are coated with asbestos. The water-supply will be obtained from an artesian well, sunk by Messrs. Baker & Sons 200 ft. into the chalk which underlies the site at a depth of 90 ft. from the surface. The water will be pumped from the well into cisterns at various parts of the building, and also into two large cast-iron tanks, holding 8,000 gallons each, which are placed in the towers of the administrative block, to form a reserved supply of water for use in case of fire. Hydrants are placed in all the wards and on the landings of the stairs adjoining them, also in the corridors of the administrative block. The drains have been laid in straight lines, with manholes at intervals for access and for admitting fresh air where practicable. The foul air from the main sewers in the streets is cut off by Kenon's intercepting traps and ventilated manholes. There is a flushing-tank at the head of the main drain at the back of the building. All the soil-pipes are fixed outside of the buildings, and to insure a constant circulation of air in them they are open at the top and at the feet, just above the traps into which they discharge. The waste-pipes from baths, sinks, &c., discharge over open trapped receivers, and are carried above the eaves of the roofs, with open ends. The receiving wards are situated close to the entrance-gates in front of the building. They contain two wards, — one for males and one for females, — with attendants' rooms, clothes stores, bath-rooms. There are also two padded rooms lined with indiarubber padding supplied by Messrs. Pocock & Co. The porter's lodge adjoins the entrance-gates, and contains an office, parlour, and bedrooms for the porter. Blenheim telephones are fitted in the medical Superintendent's house, the centre of each floor of ward blocks, and at various other points in the building. Externally the walls are faced with Leicester red bricks with dressings of Ancaster stone ; there is a wrought-iron railing along the front towards East Dulwich-grove. The contracts for the building, the engineers' work, and the laying cut of the grounds, have been carried out by Messrs. Kirk & Randall, of Woolwich, at a total of about 86,0001. The gasfitter's work was executed by Mr. Clarke, of Moorgate-street; City, at a cost of 1,063l. Mr. Davis has acted as clerk of works, and Messrs. H. Jarvis & Son are the architects.