Bristol General Hospital (sometimes referred to as BGH or Bristol General) was a healthcare facility in Guinea Street, Harbourside, Bristol, in the south west of England. It opened in 1832, and closed in 2012. The BGH was managed by the

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is a National Health Service foundation trust in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, England. The trust runs Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Heart Institute, Bristol Royal Hosp ...

. The building has since been converted into apartments.

History

The hospital has its origins in a small house in Guinea Street where it was established with 20 beds in 1832. Construction of purpose-built facility, at a site previously occupied by Bathurst Ironworks and designed by

William Bruce Gingell William Bruce Gingell (1819–1899) was an architect practising in Bristol. He was in partnership with John Henry Hirst for a time and was influential in the Bristol Byzantine architectural style. Significant buildings * Gardiners warehous ...

, was undertaken between 1852 and 1856. An extension was opened by the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the city of Edinburgh in Scotland, was a substantive title that has been created three times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not produc ...

in 1891. The nurses accommodation, designed by Henry Crisp and

Sir George Oatley Sir George Herbert Oatley (3 January 1863 – 12 May 1950) was an English architect noted for his work in Bristol, especially the gothic Wills Memorial Building. He was knighted for public service in 1925. Early life Oatley was born in Bristo ...

, was completed in 1895 and extended in 1907. The King Edward VII Wing, a substantial additional clinical facility, followed in 1914, just before the start of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinatio ...

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

on the roof of the hospital was completely destroyed and the roof badly damaged during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Although for much of the post-war period the hospital continued to be one of the main providers of clinical services to the Bristol and

North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non ...

area, in later years it became a specialist rehabilitation hospital. In 2008, the hospital was used as the filming location for the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

drama series '' Being Human'', which was broadcast in early 2009. After services moved to the

Bristol Royal Infirmary The Bristol Royal Infirmary, also known as the BRI, is a large teaching hospital situated in the centre of Bristol, England. It has links with the nearby University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the Wes ...

and to the new

South Bristol Community Hospital South Bristol Community Hospital is a community hospital in the Hengrove area of Bristol, England, on the site of the former Whitchurch Airport. It opened in March 2012. It is managed by the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation ...

, the hospital closed on 4 April 2012. The site was subsequently acquired by City & Country, a property developer, who have restored the ogee dome on the roof of the hospital as part of works to convert the hospital into apartments.

References

{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1832 Hospitals in Bristol Hospitals established in 1832 Bristol Harbourside Defunct hospitals in England Hospitals disestablished in 2012

History

Archives

See also

References