HOSPITAL UNVEILS GREEN PLAQUE TO MARK 300 YEARS
CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL CELEBRATES THREE CENTURIES OF PATIENT CARE
OPENING more than three centuries ago and supporting victims through both the First and Second World Wars is a sure way to earn recognition as a building of historical interest in London.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital received this commemoration as it was honoured with a Westminster Green Plaque in celebration of its 300 year anniversary.
To mark the day, the plaque was unveiled at the old Westminster Hospital site in a ceremony attended by The Lord Mayor of Westminster, The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Rennie and Audrey Hoare, descendants of Mr Henry Hoare who was one of the four founding donors of Westminster hospital.
Westminster Hospital was the first of its kind to be funded completely by donations, and since opening in 1719, it continued to grow, becoming Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 1993
In its rich 300-year history, the hospital has recorded a number of significant milestones. In 1847 it was the first hospital to perform an operation under general anaesthetic.
A few years later in 1854, renowned physician, John Snow, who studied and worked at the hospital, discovered that the cholera epidemic was a water borne disease.
The hospital has also been a reliable care provider through the capital’s most devastating incidents.
The hospital was operational through several bomb attacks during the Blitz, treated victims of the 1980s IRA bombings and in more recent times, performed life saving treatment during the 2005 terrorist attacks, the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack and the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.
Lesley Watts, the CEO of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud of our long and impressive history.
“The legacy of this remarkable hospital and its pioneering forefathers continues at our hospitals today.”
Today, the hospital is still growing with large help from the hospital’s charity CW+ who recently raised £12.5 million to redevelop and expand the hospital’s adult and neonatal care units.
Councillor Matthew Green, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Business and Planning, said: “Staff, past and present, should feel extremely proud to have helped provide 300 years of world class health service to their patients.
“I’m pleased that two descendants of Mr Henry Hoare, one of the four founding donors, could unveil a Westminster green plaque which recognises the hospital’s rich history.
“I’m sure that this hospital will continue in its new site for at least another 300 years.”