__NOTOC__ The Jessop Hospital for Women was a hospital in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England. At the time of its closure in 2001, it was managed by the

Central Sheffield University Hospitals NHS Trust Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa ...

History

Early history

Following a large donation by

Thomas Jessop Thomas Jessop (31 January 1804, in Sheffield – 30 November 1887) was a steelmaker who became Mayor of Sheffield (1863-1864) and Master Cutler (1863). As Mayor, he had to deal with the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864. Family Thomas Jessop was ...

, a wealthy steelworks owner, a new building was commissioned to replace the old Sheffield Hospital for Women at Figtree Lane, which had only six beds. The new facility was designed by John Dodsley Webster in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. The building cost £26,000 – equivalent to approximately £2.1m in 2021 – all paid for by Jessop. It opened as the Jessop Hospital for Women in 1878. An extension, known as the Edwardian wing, was completed in 1902. Between 1927 and 1972 the hospital had a 45-bed annexe at

Norton Hall Norton Hall is an English country house situated on Norton Church Road in the suburb of Norton in Sheffield, England. For most of its history it has been a private residence, in its latter history it has been used as a NHS hospital, a private ho ...

known as the Firth Auxiliary Hospital. Operation of the hospital was transferred from the Sheffield Health Authority (dissolved on 1 April 1992) to the

on 1 November 1991, who continued to operate the hospital until its closure. The hospital was in the news in 1998 when Diane Blood gave birth to a baby boy, having been inseminated using her husband's

sperm Sperm is the male reproductive cell, or gamete, in anisogamous forms of sexual reproduction (forms in which there is a larger, female reproductive cell and a smaller, male one). Animals produce motile sperm with a tail known as a flagellum, whi ...

, which had been taken from his body while he was unconscious on

life support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...

, shortly before his death. A prolonged legal case gave her the right to do this, despite not having the written consent of her husband.

Closure and redevelopment

After services transferred to the Jessop Wing of the

Royal Hallamshire Hospital The Royal Hallamshire Hospital is a general and teaching hospital located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the city's West End, facing Glossop Road and close to the main campus of University of Sheffield and the Collegiate Cresc ...

, the hospital closed in 2001. In 2007 the majority of the 1970s wing was demolished by the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

as part of their

Jessop West Jessop West is a building in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and is part of the University of Sheffield. Designed by Berlin-based architectural firm Sauerbruch Hutton, it was completed in 2009, and is on the corner of Leafygreave Road and Upper Han ...

development. The Victorian Wing of the original hospital was converted to house the Department of Music, who occupied it in 2009. Despite being a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, demolition of the Edwardian wing started on 30 July 2013. Demolition was pursued in favour of renovation as it provided the University of Sheffield with a greater floor area for new development at a lower cost. The demolition was opposed by the Victorian Society and the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society (HHBS).

References

{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1878 Teaching hospitals in England Hospitals in Sheffield Defunct hospitals in England Hospitals established in 1878 Women's hospitals Demolished buildings and structures in Sheffield

History

Early history

Closure and redevelopment

See also

References