Princess Margaret Hospital is a public hospital in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is run by the

Canterbury District Health Board The Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB or CDHB) was a district health board with the focus on providing healthcare to the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand, north of the Rangitata River. It was responsible fo ...

History

The SEGAR block was opened on 31 August 1959 as a general hospital, but is primarily used for older persons health care and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

services. It also houses much of the administration of Canterbury District Health Board. It is built at the foot of the

Port Hills The Port Hills are a range of hills in Canterbury Region, so named because they lie between the city of Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton. They are an eroded remnant of the Lyttelton volcano, which erupted millions of years ago. The hi ...

, at the western edge of the suburb of Cashmere. The hospital was named after

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

, sister of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. The land was purchased from the Cracroft Wilson estate and the buildings designed by the Christchurch architectural partnership of Seward and Stanton.

Charles Luney Charles Seymour "Chas" Luney (28 June 1905 – 18 November 2006), was a New Zealand builder and company director. He is notable for the many important buildings that his company constructed in Christchurch, of which his favourite was Christchur ...

was chosen as the construction professional. The complex was opened by the then Governor-General of New Zealand,

Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, (8 August 1909 – 20 March 1977) was the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer from the Lyttelton family. Background and education Lyttelton was born in Kensington, London, ...

. At one point, it was thought that this would become the main hospital for Christchurch. However, it was determined to be too far away from the city centre.

South Island Eating Disorders Service

Princess Margaret Hospital has a regional service that specially caters for people suffering from eating disorders known as the South Island Eating Disorders Service. The unit is the only place in New Zealand which has a in-patient unit specifically offering a dedicated weight gain programme to treat people with eating disorders. The unit is small and holds six to seven service users and shares facilities with the Mothers and Babies Unit next door (the two are collectively known as C-Ward"). The unit also has an outpatient area designed for people to have therapy suffering from eating disorders.

References

External links

The Princess Margaret Hospital
– Canterbury District Health Board {{Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon Hospital buildings completed in 1959 Buildings and structures in Christchurch Hospitals in New Zealand Hospitals established in 1959 1950s architecture in New Zealand Brutalist architecture in New Zealand