History of Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital – Hampshire – November 2021
This hospital was called the Princess Louise Hospital in 1901 which was founded by public subscription for sick and wounded soldiers returning from the Boer War. The hospital can be found on Chawton Park Road, to the east of Alton. By the time it officially came into service in 1903, the war had ended. However, the hospital was used until 1905 by the Royal Army Medical Corps.
In 1907, Sir William Purdie Treloar who, during his tenure as Lord Mayor of London in 1906-1907, had raised the sum of £10,000 in his mayoral 'Cripples Fund', took over the Alton site for use as a hospital for the treatment of children up to the age of 12 who were suffering from tuberculosis of the bones or joints. A college was also established for teaching technical skills to physically disabled boys aged from 14 to 18, so that they could earn their own living.
Children came from all over the country to the hospital, which had its own railway station, Alton Park. The original ward huts were demolished as part of a major reconstruction of the site from 1929 to 1937.
In 1948, the hospital facilities were taken over by the new National Health Service and in 1951 were renamed The Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital. In 1953, the college moved to its own site at Upper Froyle. The Florence Treloar School for Girls was opened at Holybourne in 1965. The boys' college and girls' school were amalgamated in 1978 to create the Lord Mayor Treloar College, now based just outside Alton at Holybourne.
Despite threats of closure from the 1970s onwards, the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital continued in operation until 1994. The site was sold in 2001 and the buildings demolished. The site is now occupied by housing and a community hospital.
It's previous names were:
(1907 - 1908) Lord Mayor Treloar Cripples Home and College
(1908 – unknown) Lord Mayor Treloar Cripples Hospital and College
(1951) Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital
Exploring Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital
Uninterrupted explore even though it’s surrounded by residential properties, it’s easy to get in and out. We wasn’t here very long and we also didn’t explore upstairs as the floor didn’t seem to sturdy or safe although after seeing other explorers photos of the upstairs, I wish I had been a little more daring. There were remains of birds in one of the rooms which I found pretty fascinating. Most of the windows were boarded up and there was fencing around the hospital. No one in sight apart from two people walking a dog as we had already left.
There was a water tower at the back of the hospital which you can see photographed in the photo’s below. I didn't manage to get an awful lot of photo's due to the lack of lighting but may re-visit at a later date and re-photograph the place.
Enjoy
This hospital was called the Princess Louise Hospital in 1901 which was founded by public subscription for sick and wounded soldiers returning from the Boer War. The hospital can be found on Chawton Park Road, to the east of Alton. By the time it officially came into service in 1903, the war had ended. However, the hospital was used until 1905 by the Royal Army Medical Corps.
In 1907, Sir William Purdie Treloar who, during his tenure as Lord Mayor of London in 1906-1907, had raised the sum of £10,000 in his mayoral 'Cripples Fund', took over the Alton site for use as a hospital for the treatment of children up to the age of 12 who were suffering from tuberculosis of the bones or joints. A college was also established for teaching technical skills to physically disabled boys aged from 14 to 18, so that they could earn their own living.
Children came from all over the country to the hospital, which had its own railway station, Alton Park. The original ward huts were demolished as part of a major reconstruction of the site from 1929 to 1937.
In 1948, the hospital facilities were taken over by the new National Health Service and in 1951 were renamed The Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital. In 1953, the college moved to its own site at Upper Froyle. The Florence Treloar School for Girls was opened at Holybourne in 1965. The boys' college and girls' school were amalgamated in 1978 to create the Lord Mayor Treloar College, now based just outside Alton at Holybourne.
Despite threats of closure from the 1970s onwards, the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital continued in operation until 1994. The site was sold in 2001 and the buildings demolished. The site is now occupied by housing and a community hospital.
It's previous names were:
(1907 - 1908) Lord Mayor Treloar Cripples Home and College
(1908 – unknown) Lord Mayor Treloar Cripples Hospital and College
(1951) Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital
Exploring Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital
Uninterrupted explore even though it’s surrounded by residential properties, it’s easy to get in and out. We wasn’t here very long and we also didn’t explore upstairs as the floor didn’t seem to sturdy or safe although after seeing other explorers photos of the upstairs, I wish I had been a little more daring. There were remains of birds in one of the rooms which I found pretty fascinating. Most of the windows were boarded up and there was fencing around the hospital. No one in sight apart from two people walking a dog as we had already left.
There was a water tower at the back of the hospital which you can see photographed in the photo’s below. I didn't manage to get an awful lot of photo's due to the lack of lighting but may re-visit at a later date and re-photograph the place.
Enjoy
