The Liverpool Royal Infirmary was a hospital in Pembroke Place in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

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. The building is now used by the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

History

The infirmary has its origins in a small building on Shaw's Brow which was opened by the 11th Earl of Derby on part of the site which is now occupied by St George's Hall on 25 March 1749. The second incarnation of the infirmary was designed by John Foster in the Greek Revival style and opened on Brownlow Hill in September 1824. This building was renamed the Liverpool Royal Infirmary after a visit of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

to Liverpool in 1851. William Rathbone VI, based on advice from

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...

, set up the world's first ever district nursing service at this building in 1862. This led to the formation of the Queen's Nursing Institute. The foundation stone for a third incarnation of the infirmary, a much larger building, was laid by the 15th Earl of Derby in Pembroke Place on 28 October 1887. The new building, this time designed by

Alfred Waterhouse Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905) was an English architect, particularly associated with Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known for his designs ...

in the Romanesque Revival style, opened in November 1889. The foundation stone for a new out-patient building, which incorporated a large hall which could accommodate up to 200 people, was laid by the 17th Earl of Derby on 7 July 1909. This building was designed by James Doyle and was opened by the 6th Earl of Sefton on 29 March 1911. The infirmary joined the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

in 1948. After services transferred to the new Royal Liverpool Hospital on Prescot Street, the old building (subsequently referred to as the "Waterhouse Building") closed in 1978. The Waterhouse Building was acquired by the

in 1995 and departments that now use it include the Institute of Psychology, Health and Society. It was used by the

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for filming '' Casualty 1907'' in 2006.

Notable staff

Notable people who have trained and worked at Liverpool Royal Infirmary include: * Emily 'Margaret' Cummins (1866–1934), Lady Superintendent and Matron (from 1911 until at least 1924) She also trained at The London Hospital under Matron Eva Luckes. In 1924 Margaret Cummins helped arrange what was said to be the first Nurses Service in England. It was held in the Lady Chapel of the

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Liverpool, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Liverpool and is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, diocese of Liverpool. The church may be formally re ...

on Sunday, 18 May shortly after the anniversary of the birth of

. * John Eyton-Jones (1862-1940), was latterly house surgeon at the infirmary; also an amateur

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, played as Wales international and for Everton. * Rosalind Paget (1855–1948), was a niece of William Rathbone VI, a resident of Liverpool and social reformer. Paget was a British Nurse and reformer who co-founded the forerunner to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and in the late 1870s did some experience of training at Liverpool Royal Infirmary.Paget, Rosalind, Roll of Queen’s Nurses, 1891–1931; Roll No.3919, Vol.1 (1891–1892), 1; Queen's Nursing Institute Registers; Wellcome Library, London vailable at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 11 December 2020/ref> Between 1882 and 1884 she formally trained as a nurse at The London Hospital under

Matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in a hospital in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person in charge ...

Eva Luckes. Paget was the first Inspector for the Queen's Nursing Institute, which her uncle was instrumental in establishing. * Theodora Turner (1907–1999) OBE, ARRC

from 1948 to 1953, subsequently Matron St. Thomas' Hospital London from 1955 to 1965 and President of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...

from 1966 to 1968

Notable patients

Robert Tressell, author of ''The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists'', died there in 1911.

Gallery

File:Second Liverpool Royal Infirmary (14652158422).jpg, The second incarnation of the infirmary File:Block C, Waterhouse building.jpg, Former ward block at the third incarnation of the infirmary File:Hospitals and Asylums of the World - Portfolio of Plans, p. 26.jpg, Ground Floor plan of the third incarnation of the infirmary File:Hospitals and Asylums of the World - Portfolio of Plans, p. 27.jpg, First Floor plan of the third incarnation of the infirmary

References

External links

E. Chambré Hardman Archive

Aerial Photograph
{{authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1749 Hospital buildings completed in the 18th century Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool University of Liverpool Alfred Waterhouse buildings 1743 establishments in England Hospitals in Liverpool Defunct hospitals in England Hospitals established in the 1740s