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FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL BRIEFING PAPERcroup. erysipelas, scarlatina or scarlet fever, typhus...
Transcript of FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL BRIEFING PAPERcroup. erysipelas, scarlatina or scarlet fever, typhus...
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FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL BRIEFING PAPER
Farnham an Unhealthy Town
In Victorian times great concern was expressed about the health of the nation. The government was
identifying a worrying increase in infectious diseases. The Farnham area was especially backward in
creating a healthy environment for its residents. The twin essentials for good health, a supply of
wholesome water and the provision for the removal of human waste were far from a reality in the
town and its surrounding districts.
A Farnham Water Company had been set up in 1836 but, by 1884, only about 1 in 4 of the houses in
the town had a piped water supply and it was not the early part of the 20th Century that the
surrounding districts, including Wrecclesham, were able to access mains water. Most houses at this
time were dependent upon water obtained from wells and springs, which were found both to the
north and south of the town. In Farnham, for those who had no access to wells or springs, there were
communal facilities in the form of the town pump or the water carrier known as ‘Old Tom’. George
Sturt describes:
‘Old Tom’ ladling out water from his barrel and delivering it to customers at a
penny or a halfpenny a bucket. 1
In the 1890’s the Medical Officer for the Farnham Urban Council reported at each monthly meeting
on the state of the town’s health. He reported that: ‘Illnesses that beset the town at this time
included Diphtheria, Typhoid, Scarlatina, Erisypelas, Scarlet Fever, Smallpox and Croup.’ 2
Farnham a Smelly Town
Even in Victorian times open ditches carried human waste products of the town to the River Wey.
There was no mains drainage and most houses relied for their sanitation on cesspits and privies. In
some cases, there was only a single septic tank serving more than one home. Emptying cesspits and
privies was done by men specially employed for the job, called the Night Soil Men. House owners were
required to pay for this service and poorer families frequently deferred emptying which led to very
offensive smells. In 1866 Farnham appointed an ‘Inspectors of Nuisances’ who would report
overflowing privies or offensive cesspits.
Apart from the nuisance of smell, the practice of releasing sewage into the rivers and the frequency of
overflowing privies and cesspits led to contaminated liquids entering the water table where the wells
and streams became contaminated. Writing in a book concerning the mode of contamination by
diphtheria of water in London, Dr John Snow wrote:
‘The least trace of filth from a cesspit drain, or a manure heap, converts
drinking water into an insidious poison fraught with disease and death.’ 3
A very detailed analysis of deaths and infectious diseases in the town is contained in the
excellent publication by Brigid Fice, ‘Death in Victorian Farnham.’4
1 George Sturt – A Small Boy in the Sixties
2 Bill Ewbank Smith – Victorian Farnham -1971.
3 Dr. John Snow – On the Mode of Communication of Cholera -1849.
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Ill Health in Wrecclesham
The situation in the village of Wrecclesham was equally worrying. Information gained both
from church records and school log books confirms the situation to be most unsatisfactory. In
the period 1840 – 1886 the St Peter’s Church burial records show that 384, or 44%, of the 873
burials were for children under 10.
The supply of clean drinking water was a constant problem. In the 1850’s there were several
instances of boys at St Peter’s School being sent down to the river to collect this basic
necessity. People living in the Hatches were known to obtain their water from the nearby
River Wey. The Vicar, Rev Henry Julius, set to work to try to alleviate this problem. His
daughter Florence Stevens in a book of her memoirs, ‘To the Vicarage Born’, records that:
‘in 1855 water became very scarce and I remember seeing men and women
carrying two pails from yokes on their shoulders. My father determined that this
should not happen again, so he consulted Mr. John Paine who gave two plots of
land, one at the entrance to the village, and one further up, and they had two
enormous tanks made and fitted with pumps, and the water from above drained
into them and gave an excellent supply. This was free to everyone…. These tanks
went on for many years and were a great boon.’ 5
To raise funds for this facility the Vicar organised a bazaar. Although Florence Stevens suggests that
the water was free, the residents had to pay a small sum - 1d. a week - to use the facility.
Unfortunately, it had to be closed later as the Medical Officer of Health felt that the water was
impure. It was not until 1909, 50 years later, that a guaranteed water supply was provided in the
village, and mains drainage was not secured until the 1930’s. There were many larger houses in the
village that had their own wells, or pumped water from the lower strata of the ground, but these
were not felt to be totally reliable.
The Old Vicarage
The Old Vicarage had a somewhat sad record. The first Vicar of Wrecclesham, Rev Durant Buttemer
provides a tragic example. Between 1848 and 1852 he and his wife had 14 children. Of these 7 died
before they reached their 10th birthday. Five of Buttemer’s children had been born in the Old
Vicarage, three of whom died in, 1850, within five years after leaving the Wrecclesham Vicarage.
Nor was this the end of the sadness’s associated with the Vicarage. In 1870 Rev Julius’s youngest
daughter, Madeline, died, at the tender age of 14, while suffering from typhoid. Moreover, Henry’s
niece, Ella, also died of typhoid in that same year, whilst staying in the vicarage with her uncle.These
sad events may be coincidental; however, it is known that typhoid is a water borne disease.
4Brigid Fice, Death in Victorian Farnham. Farnham and District Museum Society Occasional Publication,
5 Florence Stevens. To the Vicarage Born. Farnham and District Museum Society Publication.
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In 1896, Farnham had the worst figures in Surrey for the prevalence of typhoid, which was thought
to be due to the substantial number of polluted shallow wells which were in use for drinking
purposes.6
St Peter’s School
The Head Teacher’s Log Book of St Peter’s School, at the turn of the century, provide further
evidence of issues that may reflect on the health of the young people from the parishes in South
Farnham.7
1881 A very hot summer we have had no water on the premises for a long time.
1885 Water very scarce in the neighbourhood – this makes it bad for the girl’s sewing.
1889 Sickness – measles, diphtheria, mumps, whooping cough – are recorded over and over once again
during the next few years – The village seems to have been very unhealthy in this period.
1891 The Water supply of the Parish is nearly exhausted. In my own house we have used snow water for a
long time – I have come to school without washing and without breakfast.
1892 We are quite out of water; the boys have to fetch every drop.
1900 Absence of water ‘We have only rain water to depend on’ We have to send out and beg for water
from place to place.
1900 Mr Parratt sent up some water from River Row twice during the week. Mr Blake brought a barrel to
hold it.
1901 School closed by Medical Officer due to prevalence of Scarletina. - 42 children still in isolation
hospital. School fumigated;
1903 Pit Closets converted into earth closet.
1903 Water laid on at the school.
1906 Difficulty with drainage, cesspits etc reported. In December 120 children absent on account of
mumps, diphtheria and scarlet fever.
1907 Permission for swimming lessons in the river granted.
1910 The school should have re-opened but only 97 children out of 218 were present - absence due to
a) Hopping b) Whooping Cough.
The Hatches
I conclude this part of the Briefing Paper by quoting from the memory of a lady who once lived in the
Hatches. The Hatches today is probably a little-known part of Wrecclesham. In the 19th Century, before the
advent of motor cars, it was an important thoroughfare and one of the principal walking routes to Farnham.
The byway, which leaves the village on the Wrecclesham Road at the end of Fairthorne Terrace, extended
beyond Weydon Mill to enter Red Lion Lane, which emerges in the centre of Farnham, at Bridge Square. The
track, for it is little more than that, is bounded on its northern side by the River Wey which meanders
through attractive fields. Situated literally in the flood plain of the Wey, the Hatches is bounded to the south
by rising ground, which has constrained the buildings on that side.
Although probably built at a slightly earlier date, the main cluster of houses in the Hatches is shown in the
Winchester Pipe Rolls as being in existence in 1819. Referring to her grandfather she records that:
6 Annual Report of the Registrar General 1847 p. xiii.
7 Children at St Peter’s School at this time were drawn from parishes across the southern part of the town, including
Wrecclesham, Upper and Lower Bourne, Tilford, Rowledge and Frensham
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‘Life was hard. He was the eldest of 12 and his morning wash was in the River Wey
that ran just along the house. Sometimes he would have to crack the ice. Poor chap he
must have been not much more than 12 years old when he started working in the
gravel pit. He had to earn a living. He was one of 12 children, his father was a hop
garden worker, earning perhaps 10/- a week, the bob or two that the boys could earn
meant one more meal they could all eat. Don’t let anyone tell you that they were the
good old days. I can remember my four girl cousins used to sleep four in a bed, two at
the top and two at the bottom. My grandfather used to tell me that when he was
small they lived in a cottage on the river bank down the Hatches, the only water was
the river Wey which the cattle used as well! No wonder the kids all had a turn up at
the isolation hospital in Green Lane, with scarlet fever and the like. The ‘bog’ was up in
the garden under a big fruit tree and quite an expedition on a wet and windy night. 8
Cottages in the Hatches alongside the River Wey
Infectious Diseases and Isolation.
Farnham was not alone at this time in suffering from poor health. In the late 1880’s the
Government issued several Acts of Parliament addressing the problems of infectious diseases. The Infectious Disease (Notification) Act first appeared on the UK national statute books in 1889. It
was compulsory in London and optional in the rest of the country. It later became a mandatory law
with the Infectious Diseases Notification (Extension) Act, 1899. These acts required householders
and/or general practitioners to report cases of infectious disease to the local sanitary authority. The
following diseases were covered by the acts: smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, membranous
croup. erysipelas, scarlatina or scarlet fever, typhus fever, typhoid fever, enteric fever. Following receipt of a notification certificate, the local authority's Medical Officer of Health could pursue existing
public health laws, such as the Public Health Act 1875, to isolate patients in hospital.
8 Information provided by Barbara Maskell with quotation from her Grandmother.
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Local authorities were encouraged by the Ministry of Health to establish Isolation hospitals in order to keep
infectious diseases under control. Where the population was insufficient to justify such provision, they were
invited to join forces with neighbouring authorities to provide the facilities jointly. In Surrey and North West
Hampshire, the following Joint Hospital Boards were established.
Caterham and Westerham Cuddington (Epsom and Sutton)
Reigate Ottershaw
Guildford and Godalming Wandle Valley(Carshalton)
Aldershot Alton
In 1890 the County Council urged Farnham Urban Authority to join forces with the Farnham Rural Authority to
provide an Isolation Hospital.
Prior to this those suffering with infectious disease were admitted to one of the two ‘pest houses’ in the
Farnham area9. Brigid Fice rather graphically described this procedure as:
‘a one-way trip to avoid the infection becoming an epidemic.’10
In 1893 the Local Government Board once more prompted Farnham to provide an Isolation Hospital, either by
themselves or in conjunction with adjoining authorities. This led to a meeting in Sep 1893 of two
representatives from each of the two Farnham authorities, to which the chairman of Frimley Parish was also
invited. The meeting agreed that it was desirable to have an isolation hospital and to invite the authorities to
appoint representatives to a subcommittee which would:
‘Draw up a report as to the site for the hospital and its probable cost.’
Two years went by before this Joint Committee reported back to their authorities requesting that:
‘a hospital be provided by a voluntary contribution of the three authorities under section 131 of
the Public Health Act, 1875. The subcommittee was empowered to purchase the necessary land to
carry such recommendation into effect.’ 11
In May 1896 the Joint Committee reported that they had purchased 11¼ acres of land known as High
Elms, in Weydon Lane. and asked the constituent authorities to provide the money to pay for it.
In the Autumn of 1896 it was reported that the Local Government Board had sanctioned the loan of £270 to
purchase the land.
In May 1897 the Guardians gave notice that no more cases of infectious diseases would be admitted to the
Workhouse after the end of the year. That left eight months for the Joint Committee to complete the deal,
for the land, get their building up and provide the beds.
In July 1897 Mr Crundwell, the Clerk to the Farnham Rural Authority, announced that the plans for the
Isolation Hospital were estimated to cost £4, 997, and suggested that the Urban Authority should get a
sanction to borrow their proportion without delay.
9 One of the Pest Houses was in Hog hatch, in Hale, the other in the Bourne.
10 Brigid Fice – Death in Victorian Farnham.
11 Frimley in the event did not progress their involvement in the Joint Authority.
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The Urban authority asked for a meeting with the Rural Council to discuss the whole matter. At a meeting on
15th July, despite some attempt to prune the estimate, the project was given the go ahead.
At this late stage the Local Government Board insisted that the isolation hospital should be surrounded by a
corrugated iron fence of at least 6½ ft. in height. The Council agreed but only if the Board would sanction the
loan for an additional £00.
In August 1897 the Joint Committee accepted a tender of Messrs. Thomsett & Co, in the sum of £5,668, for
building two wards, each to contain ten beds, (instead of three wards with 10, 8 and 4 beds as originally
planned) and the total cost, excluding furniture, would be £6,118. The deadline for the admission of patients
to the workhouse on 31st Dec 1897 came and went with the Councils frantically trying to borrow a further
£300 to erect an iron building to serve as a temporary ward until the hospital was built.
Work on a permanent building commenced in 1898, and was completed in Jan 1899. The facilities at the
outset consisted of 2 wards, containing 10 beds, road making, fencing and professional fees.
Map Showing Location of Farnham Isolation Hospital12
The hospital opened in May 1898 with the Iron building that had formerly been in use for St Peter’s School in
Wrecclesham13. 29 cases were admitted – 24 with scarlet fever and 5 with diphtheria. In 1899, 64 cases
were admitted: 45 cases of scarlet fever, 18 of diphtheria and 1 of Typhoid Fever. 62 patients recovered.
There were 2 deaths.
12
Access to the land on which the hospital was built was from Weydon Lane, now known as Bardsley Drive. 13
The building had been in use for St Peter’s School and located at the Land on School Hill initially reserved for the extension of the Wrecclesham Cemetery. In 1909 it was moved to Little Green Lane to accommodate the Infants classes until new accommodation was completed.
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Hospital Rules
The Joint Committee was set up by agreement in October 1896, Under Section 131 of the Public Health Act
and Section 57 of the Local Government Act with the following rules.
1. The Hospital shall be open for all cases of Enteric Fever, Typhus Fever or Asiatic Cholera and with the
sanction of the Medical Officer any other infectious diseases, provided the patient is a bona fide resident of
the Districts of the Joint Isolation Hospital Committee comprising the Parishes of Ash, Dockenfield, Farnham
Road, Frensham, Seale and Shottermill in the Farnham Rural District Council and the Parish of Farnham
constituting the Farnham Urban District Council.
2. Application for admission shall be made in the first instance to the Medical Officer.
3. The Joint Committee should be based upon the population of the two Districts which gave the Farnham
Urban District Council 3 members, and the Farnham Rural District Council 5 members.
4. The Hospital shall be in the charge of a resident Matron.
View of Farnham Isolation Hospital early 20th Century.14
14
This postcard was sent in March 1905. The picture shows the approach drive from Weydon Lane with the hospital buildings in the former hop fields beyond.
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Bumbledom.
As has been evidenced above there was a lot of talk but action was slow. It seemed that Farnham Rural
Authority and Farnham Urban Authority15 were somewhat unsatisfactory bedfellows. This issue beset the
Isolation Hospital from the outset and was eventually to lead to legal action16 to determine their relationship.
As the more populous authority Farnham Rural had a majority of members on the Joint Committee which was
seen as the villagers ‘tail’, wagging the urban ‘dog’. The Joint Committee was ambitious to expand the
facilities of the hospital and felt that they were entitled to commit both authorities to expenditure which
usually led to delay and resistance from the urban authority
Brigid Fice referred to this as ‘Bumbledom’17 and it was only resolved when the boundaries of Farnham Urban
were extended to embrace more of the surrounding villages, including Wrecclesham.18
The Joint Committee Chairmen
It was probably inevitable that the Farnham Rural authority, which had the larger membership of the Joint
Committee, would appoint one of its members as Chairman. From the outset the Chairman was George
Frederick Roumieu. George was a man of many talents. As a young Barrister, in 1882, he was appointed as
County Coroner to the Surrey County Council, a position he held with distinction for 30 years.
A committed Wrecclesham resident, he lived in Willey Park, he was also an influential member of St Peter’s
Church, a Churchwarden for 25 years, a Trustee of the Knight’s Almshouses for 19 years and an active Trustee
and Governor of St Peter’s School.
However, George had a significant and active life beyond Wrecclesham. He was active in Farnham and
beyond. Apart from being the Chairman of the Farnham Isolation Hospital Joint Committee, he was also
Chairman of the Wey Valley Water Company, a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Farnham Board of
Guardians.
At a National level he was President of both the Coroner’s Society for England and Wales, and of the British
Dairy Farmer’s Association. He was a well-known judge of Cattle and officiated in that capacity at the
principal shows in England and at the Royal Irish Show, a Freeman of the City of London and a Director of
several London companies.
A committed Mason, George was a member of the St Andrews Lodge in Farnham. In the early part of the 20th
Century he had moved to live at Bethune House in West Street where he died on 14th November 1912, at the
relatively young age of 60. He is buried in Farnham’s West Street Cemetery. A window is dedicated to his
memory in St Peter’s Church.
George Roumieu remained as Chairman for 16 years. While none of the succeeding Chairmen was to serve for
this length of time, the hospital benefited from the experience of 6 more Chairmen during its active lifetime.
A list of the Chairmen of the Farnham Isolation Hospital is included at Appendix 1.
15
Frimley had shown interest at the outset but this was not eventuated. 16 Public Enquiry 1907. Dispute between Farnham UDC and Farnham RDC regarding the building of an Observation
Block.
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Early Years
Despite the problems in the Joint Committee, the Isolation Hospital was soon providing a useful
service, not just for the two authorities but more widely. At this time several authorities in Surrey had no
Isolation Hospital of their own. It was soon evident that several Surrey Local authorities were making use of
the Farnham hospital and were paying a separate charge for this service. At this time there were six Surrey
authorities, representing a population of 105,000, which had no isolation facilities.
At a meeting of the Farnham Urban Authority in 1891 the Medical Officer was congratulated on
‘the efficient manner in which the hospital was being run’.19
After two unsuccessful early appointments of Matron, the hospital was run by the resident Matron, Ellen
Hewitt, under the direction of the Medical Officer of Health for Farnham. It was this lack of a resident doctor
that prompted the ambition of the Joint Committee in 1907 to seek to build an Observation Block into which
patients could be admitted to await assessment. The Joint Committee were of the opinion that both
authorities, Farnham Urban and Farnham Rural, were obligated to contribute to the additional capital cost of
this new building. However, Farnham Urban Authority refused to pay and the matter was taken to Judicial
Review. The Court Judgement was that the Joint Committee could not demand such a payment. Despite this
example of the two authorities being at odds with one another in relationship to the Joint Partnership, the
hospital still performed a valuable service to the authorities in SW Surrey. The Isolation Block was added at a
later date.
Ambulances
In order to collect patients suffering from Infectious Diseases the hospital had to maintain an ambulance and
drivers. At the outset these were horse drawn vehicles which created additional problems of animal
husbandry. For collecting patients from a long distance two horses were required. The Porter was the
driver on most occasions. Reference is made to ‘Horse Hire’ in the accounts which suggests that from time
to time there was need for backup to be provided. In 1924 the horse drawn vehicles were sold and
replaced by motorised ambulances but the majority of those purchased were second hand vehicles and the
maintenance requirement and replacement of ambulances was a regular cause for entry in the minutes of
the Hospital Committee.
Arrangements with other authorities
In the early years of the 20th Century a few of the authorities that had no isolation facilities of their own
entered into formal agreement with the Joint Committee that their patients might be accepted on payment
of an appropriate charge. During this time arrangements were in place with the following authorities:
Frimley
Hambledon
Haslemere
Hartley Wintney
Midhurst
19
Ewbank Smith – Victorian Farnham.
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The 1911 Census
The 1911 Census provides a useful reference point for the Farnham Isolation Hospital
The hospital’s facilities recorded in this Census were as follows:
Administrative Block
Scarlet Fever Block
Diphtheria Block
Observation Block20
Convalescent Block
Staff resident at the Hospital on the day of the Census were as follows:
Matron
4 Nurses
Cook
Laundress
2 Ward Maids
Housemaid
Hospital Porter
6 Patients (3 from London 3 Not Known)
1914- 1918 - First World War.
The Hospital Minutes suggest that the First World War had very little effect on the working of the Isolation
Hospital. At the outbreak of the war there were discussions with the military authorities which had requested
that treatment for Infectious Diseases among soldiers might be undertaken in Farnham. However, there was
little evidence of any use of the hospital by the military over the next four years.
The only other references in the Minutes that might be war related were:
discussion with the police about blackout of windows
reference to difficulty in obtaining coal supplies, and
a greater emphasis on use of the garden for food supplies.
Throughout the period there were continuing discussions with the neighbouring authorities about the
financial and practical arrangements for dealing with their patients.
The Post War Years
There was in fact little change in the work of the hospital immediately following the War. Various
arrangements had been made with Haslemere UDC and Hambledon RDC for the accommodation of their
patients. However, in Oct 1931, the County Council brought all the Isolation Hospitals in Surrey together in
20 It is evident that by this time the dispute over the Observation Block, which led to Legal Proceedings between the two authorities,
had been resolved.
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order to discuss a revision of the County’s Joint Isolation Hospital areas. By this time Farnham Rural Authority
had ceased to exist. Those villages close to the town had been absorbed and those further afield had been
allocated to the Hambledon Rural District Council. Following discussion, it was agreed that the Farnham Joint
Isolation Hospital should in the future cover Farnham Urban District Council, Haslemere Urban District Council
and those parishes in Hambledon District Council which were closest to Farnham. i.e. Frensham, Dockenfield,
Elstead, Peper Harrow, Tilford, Thursley, Witley, Chiddingfold and Hambledon.
It was agreed that the membership of the Joint Committee, and the precept payable, should be based upon
the rateable value of the constituent authorities. As follows:
Farnham UDC - 4 representatives
Haslemere UDC - 3 representatives and
Hambledon RDC - 3 representatives
The Precept for 1934, on the basis of an estimated annual cost of the hospital of £1709, was:
Rateable Value Precept
Farnham UDC £136,246 £684
Haslemere UDC £109202 £561
Hambledon RDC £93,034 £464
The Inter War Years.
The Minutes of the Joint Committee suggest that the Isolation Hospital continued to provide a valued service
in South West Surrey throughout the 20’s and 30’s. The staff and facilities grew exponentially during this
period. In 1935 it was recorded that the facilities at the hospital provided a total of 34 beds in the following
units of accommodation:
Administration Block
Scarlet Fever Block - 16 beds
Diphtheria Block - 14beds
Observation Block - 4 beds
At this time the 3 authorities who were members of the Joint Committee were Farnham Urban District
Council, Haslemere Urban District Council and Hambledon Rural District Council (part only). The population
served by the Joint Committee was 44,000. The 1934/35 estimate was £1700, which was contributed by the
following precept. Farnham £750, Haslemere £536 and Hambledon £414.
The Joint Committee was advised that the recommended standard of accommodation for Isolation Hospitals
was 1 bed per 1000, of which one third should be of the cubicle type. On this basis the Farnham Joint
Committee was deficient by at least 10 beds, As the hospital currently had no cubicle accommodation it was
recommended that at least a further 12 beds should be provided and that these should be of a cubicle type.
The Joint Committee agreed that a new Cubicle Bock should be provided which should contain 8 x single bed
cubicles and 2x 2 bed cubicles. The cost of this new building would be £557 and should be divided as follows,
Farnham £245, Haslemere £175 and Hambledon £135. The new cubicle block was opened for use in June
1937.
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1939 - 1945 The Second World War
As with World War 1 the effect of the outbreak of World War 2 made only minor difference to the activity of
the Isolation hospital.
The first significant event in WWII was the death of the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. H.J. Ealand. Although
the Matron dealt with the day to day activity of the Isolation Hospital the overall responsibility was that of the
Medical Officer of Health. It was he who was responsible for all admissions to the hospital and who was a
constant visitor and important member of the Joint Committee. At the time of his death, Dr. Ealand had been
Medical Officer of Health for 36 years. He had been fortunate that he had been able to rely on two long
serving Matrons, Ellen Howitt and Florence Mann, who had directed the work of the hospital over this
period.21
At their meeting in September 1939 the Clerk to the Joint Council advised that the cost of air raid precautions
to the hospital would be between £1,100 and £1,200, which would not rank for Government grant. A number
of other emergency measures had to be carried out on the hospital in the early years of the war. Among these
were:
the hospital would admit Air Raid Casualties suffering from Infectious Diseases;
the staff were to be given a 6% War Bonus;
several members of staff were acknowledged as being in a reserved occupation and therefore not
liable to conscription;
the hospital was fitted with blackout and blast walls were fitted on external doors and protection was
to be made to all windows.;
disinfection facilities in the building would be made available to any affected troops;
among the patient were a number of evacuee children whose treatment was paid for byLondon local
authorities.
In addition to the above, in 1941, the Ministry of Health requested that they would like to erect huts to
accommodate one 20 bed unit, 1 x 12 bed cubicle unit and 1 staff unit. In the event this did not happen.
Meanwhile the work of the hospital in the neighbourhood carried on as before. At this time the nursing
establishment available to the Matron, Miss Fiona Macdonald, was 1 Nursing Sister, 7 staff nurses, 6 assistant
nurses. The net cost of the hospital for 1939/1940 was £5,200 which was divided among the three authorities
as follows:
Farnham Urban District Council £2,502
Haslemere Urban District Council £1,516
Hambledon Rural District Council £1,382
In 1940 the Joint Committee was advised that the Guildford Isolation Hospital was to be closed and that the
rural villages to the West of Guildford, i.e. Ash, Normandy, Seale, Tongham, Puttenham Wanborough,
Shackleford, Compton together with Godalming Borough would be looking to the Farnham Isolation Hospital
to accept patients with infectious diseases from these areas. It was agreed that where this use was possible it
would be provided at a charge of £3 -3-0 per week
21
Appendix 1 provides the details of both the Medical Officers of Health and Matrons who had served the hospital in the 50-year
period between 1897 and 1947.
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The Final Years
This Briefing Paper has been informed by a number of Minute Books and Admission Registers which date from
the opening of the hospital in 1897.22 The last Minute Book that has been accessed is dated 27th April 1948.In
1948 the Joint Committee was advised by the Ministry of Health that all the Isolation Hospitals were planned
to be transferred to the County Council or anew Joint Authority. Details of the transfer from local to more
central control have not yet been unearthed. It is known that the hospital remained in use until 1979 when
the land was developed for housing by the Farnham Town Council.
Records of the use of the facilities in the period 1948-1979 have to date not been made available. I am
slightly reliant upon the memories of local people for the activity during this period.
Pearl Sawkins advised me that her husband worked for the NHS at Green Lane hospital from October 1966
until December 1972. ‘we lived in one of the new houses allocated for rent to the NHS by Farnham District
Council when Bardsley Drive was built. At that time the two smaller wards were used for patients needing
isolation and the two larger wards were used for people with dementia. It was shortly after this that the site
was redeveloped and used for mental health people. Not long after it was demolished and houses built on the
site’.
Tony Deadman advised that: ‘after 1979 it was I believe, a long(ish) stay mental health facility (some really
needy people were there) under SW Surrey HA. The properties were later split off during the division of the NHS
ready for potential privatisation. Green Lane was run by the provider Heathlands NHS Trust, after 1996, then
by Surrey & Borders. Crown Immunity was also revoked, putting the NHS on the same footing as the private
sector and paving the way for providers to pay tax on property or sell it. ‘
There is no doubt that there had been a general improvement in the health of the population over the life of
the Isolation Hospital, and in consequence a reduction in the need for an Isolation Hospital. However, the
Hospital had survived for around 80 years until it was finally closed in 1979.
Although there is a wealth of material in the Joint Committees records there are few statistical records. In its
broadest terms it has been assessed that there were over 7,000 admissions. It has not proved possible to
undertake more detailed analysis. However, a sample from the Admission Registers suggest that in the early
years - 1899-1909 there were 2,415 admissions. The nightly average of patients present in the hospital in this
period was 16. These nightly figures ranged from 1 single patient to 44.
In the period 1928-1939 there were 2844 patients. 1309 of these patients were admitted with scarlet fever -
46%. The next highest figure was the 572 or 26% of patients who were suffering from diphtheria. An analysis
of 366 patients in the hospital in 1940/41 revealed the following range of illnesses being treated:
Scarlet Fever 203 - 55.5%
Diphtheria 79 - 21.6%
Measles 25 - 6.8%
Cerebral Spinal Meningitis 22 - 6.0%
Whooping Cough 17 - 4.6%
Chicken Pox 8 - 2.2%
Typhoid 6 - 1.6%
German Measles 3 - 0.8%
Rubella 3 - 0.8%
22
Kindly provided by Peter Harrod.
~ 14 ~
Closing comments
In researching this paper I have come across two interesting snippets of information which I am adding as a
postscript.
The Farnham Mammoth
In April 1935, during sewer laying operations at the Isolation Hospital, the archaeologist Major Wade found
the remains of a giant mammoth. The pieces consisted of a tusk a large shoulderbone and a molar two feet
long . In the same year enlargements were being carried out costing £16,500 .
The Champion Rat Catcher
The Gardener of the Isolation Hospital wrote to the Joint Committee asking if he could be recompensed for
catching rats. He had caught many since he began work and had bought rat traps for the purpose. One of the
members suggested that payment should be made at the rate of ‘four rats for a penny’. The Chairman Mr
Roumieu suggested that the customary payment was 1d. for each rat. It was agreed that this should be price
and that the gardener should cut off the tails of all rats caught by him and take them to the Matron who
would pay the remuneration.
~ 15 ~
APPENDIX 1.
FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL. CHAIRMEN AND MATRONS
Chairmen 1896-1912 G.F. Roumieu
1912-1916 W.T. Coleman
1916-1924 Col. G. Christie
1924-1927 Rev.H.R Hubbard
1927-1939 S. Lathey
1939-1946 H.G.Hale
1947-1948 Col G. Underhill
Matrons
1898 - 1899 Mrs A Wolf
1899- 1899 Miss Priestley
1900 - 1901 Miss Ellen Peat
1902-1909 Miss Ellen Howitt
1909- 1910 Miss M J Houlton
1911-1935 Miss Florence Mann
1935-1948 Miss Flora Macdonald
Medical Officers of Health
1897-1901 Dr. J.A Lorimer
1901-1939 Dr. H.J. Ealand.
1939 -1948 Dr. R. Bardsley