Hospital porters make way for Mediterranean piazza in huge redevelopment
ONE of Wolverhampton’s Victorian architectural gems has been saved from demolition thanks to a ground swell of local community support.
The South Staffordshire General Hospital, in later life to become the Grade II Listed Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton, was built between 1846 and 1849 on a four-acre plot of land purchased from Henry Vane, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, for £3,000.
The location adopted the Duke’s family name for Cleveland Road, constructed between 1828 and 1830 as part of the Town Commissioners’ road improvement scheme. Taking the form of a straight highway, the new thoroughfare avoided diversions around the existing roads in the town centre and was part of Thomas Telford’s Holyhead Road, known as the A41, where the highway passed through the West Midlands on its way to the capital.
The choice of architect for the new hospital was local man Edward Banks of Merridale whose credentials include the design for the town’s High Level, London Midland Scottish Railway station and Compton Hall, home of Thomas Elwell, a hardware merchant wealthy enough to commission William Morris to decorate the rooms of the hall.
The house and grounds are now occupied by Compton Care Hospice.
For the 80-bed hospital, Banks chose a classic Italianate style providing him with an opportunity to include four magnificent lofty, Doric columns of Derbyshire stone supporting a majestic portico entrance. Lighting throughout was by a mixture of gas and oil lamps with open fires in wards and in operating theatres which were still in use until the 1950s.
Patients and visitors as of 1863 would pass through the main gates and the newly added porter’s lodge built in a complementary architectural style, the domain of the uniformed head porter and his body of helping hands. Published records name a Mr Bentley and Don Commander as holding the title of chief porters, probably in the 1940s. Andy Ball, a young man living in the nearby district of Moxley, recalls the spirited cameraderie and daily banter of his fellow porters at the lodge.
Today, picking up from the original design of Edward Banks, local architect Mike Bates has been commissioned to breathe new life into the derelict porter’s lodge. His passion for the subject can be seen in other local heritage listed building projects such as Wolverhampton Low Level, Great Western Railway Station of 1854, redefined as an outstanding conference and events venue, aptly branded “Grand Station”.
Another, which went on to win a conservation award from the Victorian Society in 2021, was Little London School, Willenhall, built in 1883. Best remembered for its iconic clock tower, the school closed in 2006, soon to be
referred to as a crumbling relic. Its masterful redevelopment provided an HQ building for Wedge Galvanising, originally founded in Willenhall in 1869.
The objective of bringing the legacy of the Royal back into the local community has been championed by All Saints Action Network (ASAN), working within the auspices of the Cleveland Road Conservation Area masterplan complex of 38 apartments for the over 55s, while the former porters lodge will take the approach of the Italianate architecture of the main building, with a Mediterranean style outdoor seating piazza and shop, plus a cafe/restaurant.
Once the appealing lodge is redeveloped and ready to hand over, ASAN will unveil their plans for the Heritage Café which will showcase artifacts from the Royal Hospital and hopefully become a focal point for bringing people together.
The attractive new square will create a fine public meeting area in historic surroundings, a short walking distance from the city centre. Recent completion of part of the overall Cleveland Road masterplan has created an attractive environment of residential, leisure and workspace standing alongside fine examples of local heritage. The main contractor, another local company, was Jessop Brothers of Cannock.
Opposite the Royal is an outstanding building of around 1880, said to be the tallest in the town at the time, often mistaken as a brewery tower. Its lofty workrooms were occupied by the designer and manufacturer of horsedrawn Hansom Cabs, Forder & Co. which was honoured with a Royal Warrant by the Prince of Wales.
A short walk along the road, past Hospital Street, a newly built YMCA hostel and private apartments now occupy the former site of the Wolverhampton Corporation Tram Depot built in 1902, and later utilized for buses until its closure in 1995, and eventual demolition.
The street map of the period defines the next plot of land as the town’s cattle market.
Opposite and just a stone’s throw from the hospital buildings stands a fine example of a hundred-and-seventy-three-year-old boot and shoe manufacturing works. Established by James Baker, he conveniently won the contract to make the famous black patent leather shoes, mandatory footwear for the nurses of The Royal.
149 years later, Wolverhampton town council and English Heritage granted planning approval and listed building status to a bold redevelopment scheme for the factory. The visionary plans to save all the relevant heritage features of the building were applauded and would have progressed but for a severe fire. It would be 2007 when the green light was given.
The result today is a first-rate example of an 1800s industrial manufacturing workspace, brought back to a new use contributing economically to community wellbeing, and an exceptional part of Cleveland Road streetscape.
Looking forward, planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment of the rear elevation of the Royal, along with vacant land, to build 98 houses and 32 apartments. Also, the demolition of former nurses’ accommodation will make way for 24 flats.
The ABCD Heritage Project and Walking for Health scheme have created a series of heritage trails around the All Saints and Blakenhall area of Wolverhampton. These give a guide to the buildings and points of interest which form part of the area’s rich history. The guides are available to view on the Wolverhampton History and Heritage website:
www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/ trails/walks.htm
With acknowledgements: Roy Stallard.
Do you have recollections of visits or time employed at the Royal to share with Bugle readers? Please email gjones@blackcountrybugle.co.uk or drop us a line at Black Country Bugle, Dudley Archives Centre, Tipton Road, Dudley, DY1 4SQ If you have items of memorabilia suitable to display in the Porters Lodge café/restaurant, please call: 01384 880531.