Sevenoaks Talk: The Dartford Hospitals During World War 1 with Francine Payne

Doors open 11.45am, meeting starts 11am.

https://dartfordhospitalhistories.org.uk/

Dartford has an interesting mix of hospitals, not all built for local people. West Hill has its origins from the workhouse.

The changes made to the poor laws in the 1800s compelled parishes to provide better care for their destitute, sick and insane. These people would have been nursed in the workhouse in sick wards, their care was poor and nursing often provided by other inmates. The lack of separation for infectious sick meant epidemics were hard to control.

It was these same problems to which Florence Nightingale was devoting her time to in London. She was campaigning for the removal of infectious, sick and the insane from the workhouses and for a single statutory body to oversee the care of these people so that care could be standardised. She wanted everyone looked after by trained nurses.

London was separated into ‘the City’ (the area covered by the Corporation of London) and the Metropolis (the area known as Greater London). The City needed an asylum and purchased land in Dartford at Stone, here it built ‘The City of London Pauper Lunatic Asylum’. In the metropolis the Metropolitan Asylums Board (MAB) was formed and smallpox patients were removed, from London workhouses and homes, by River Ambulance to ships moored at Long Reach; and later Long Reach, Orchard and Joyce Green hospitals were built.

The MAB also built Gore Farm Hospital (later known as the Southern) for convalescence, smallpox and fevers next to its ‘School for Imbecile Children’ in Darenth, later to become Darenth Park. These hospitals were built for the people of London - although smallpox cases from Dartford were admitted the Dartford authorities were charged for their care.

During the Wars the hospitals were used by American and Australian forces and the Lower Southern became a German POW hospital. After WW2 with the inception of the NHS the hospitals changed again and became general hospitals for the people of Dartford.

 There is an adjacent large public car park (50p for 2 hours, £1 for 3 hours) but it can be busy at times.

No booking, just turn up.

The Society is a registered charity and membership fees and donations are an important part of our income. The Talk is free to members but guests and visitors are asked to make a donation towards hall hire and speaker's fee. There will be a donations box at the venue.