Royal Victoria Hospital Edinburgh - Development Timeline
Year | Event |
---|---|
1894 | Dr Robert Philip rented Craigleith House a Georgian Mansion owned by Sir.J. Maitland and it was converted to a hospital for consumptives ("The Victorian Hospital for Consumption"). There are plans showing at this time a laundry building and a gate house connected with the house as well as a walled garden |
1899 | Dr Philip and Trust purchased Craigleith House and grounds from Sir J.Maitland's daughter
for £1000 per acre the deal being half down and the rest in annual instalments.
This was named Victoria Hospital for Consumption.
Addition of all weather shelters which enabled more patients to be looked after. |
1903 | On the 15th of July, Three Butterfly Wards opened holding twelve patients each. |
1904 | Royal patronage given by George VII and it became Royal Victoria Hospital for Consumption. |
1907 | The last two of the Butterfly wards opened as well as the East Lodge Gateway and Administrative block.
Craigleith House now used only as a nurses home. |
1908 | Boiler House was built around this time. |
1952 | A nurses home was built around this time by Raeburn and Stewart. |
1959 | Butterfly Wards were converted for the care of the elderly. |
1960 | Craigleith House riddled with dry rot was demolished to make way for the 1st phase of the Royal Victoria Hospital. |
1967 | Phase 1a - 3 x 30 bed wards opened as well kitchen, stores, boiler house, staff dining room. |
1968 | Phase 1b - 30 bed Medical day hospital |
1971 | Phase 2a - Administrative block,x-ray and dental; departments. |
1978 | Possibly early 70's - Phase 2b - Purpose built 30 bed long stay care ward opened as Craigleith House. Now the Medical Day Hospital. |
1981 | Butterfly Wards, no longer suitable for the elderly commenced to be demolished. |
1986 | 20th November Phase 3 - 6 x 30 bed wards opened on the site of the Butterfly Wards. |
2008 | Go ahead given for a brand new building for medical services for the elderly, currently provided at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Edinburgh, after obtaining Local Authority planning consent. The proposals are for medical services for patients over 65 years of age in a new state of the art building within the grounds of the Western General Hospital. |
2009 | Detailed plans for the reprovision of the Royal Victoria> Hospital were finalised and gained approval at the end of 2009. The new complex to be renamed Royal Victoria Building is built on the site of the Paderewski Hospital, located within the grounds of the Western General Hospital (WGH. |
2012 | The new Royal Victoria Hospital was opened to patients in May and named The Royal Victoria Building (RVB). The first patients started to be transferred from the original Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) during June 2012. |
The development of the RVB and the relocation of the RVH to the WGH commenced with building a two tier car park and stand-by generator for use by the RVB. This involved the most Northerly car park next to Davidson Road as seen in the model below and was completed in 2011
Photograph of model by permission of Keppie Design, 6 Bells Brae, Deans Village, Edinburgh EH4 3BJ
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Click on the link below to see information about the new Royal Victoria Building, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.
Link to location of new Royal Victoria Building
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November 2012
The Royal Victoria Hospital in Craigleith Road was temporarily mothballed and re-opened after a major refurbishment of the wards.
News from the Media Centre NHS Lothian, dated 5/2/2014, stated:
"Two wards were reopened in the Royal Victoria Hospital in November 2012 to provide additional
capacity. Since then a further two wards have been upgraded and another two wards are currently being refurbished.
This will provide around 120 beds in total with a mix of single rooms and four bedded bays"
To see the refurbished wards, click the link below.
Link to view refurbished wards
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FUTURE OF THE RVH SITE
NHS Lothian has engaged planning consultants to determine/investigate the uses for the future of the site taking City of Edinburgh Council (CEC)
planning as well as local residents and Community Councils into consultation. There has been a lot of interest from residents in
retaining the large amount of mature trees as well as the two B listed buildings namely the Cantilever East Gate and the
Admin Block.
Click on the link below to view Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh planning Proposals:
Link to planning proposals"