Two brand-new, state-of-the art adult and children’s hospitals are being built on the site of the former Nurses’ Home at Leeds General Infirmary. Prior to demolition being completed, an extensive archaeological and photographic record of the former Nurses Home has been carried out. The work, by Archaeological Research Services Ltd, is helping to gather the story behind the now empty buildings, finding out what life was like for the student nurses who came to live and work at the LGI, over the course of 120 years.
The vast complex, containing hundreds of bedrooms, dining rooms, lounges, even a gymnasium and tennis court, grew from two separate Victorian buildings, joined together in the 1930s into one. The current main building was opened by Princess Royal on 2 October 1937. Revealing the evolution of hospital care, these Victorian remnants illustrate the advent of healthcare which would grow to become our modern NHS.
Demolition is expected to start soon and will be carried out over the coming months, and the design of the new buildings will begin next year. The new hospitals are expected to be completed in 2025.