AS the countdown begins for the doors to permanently close at Essex County Hospital, there is an urgent need to preserve nearly 200 years of indispensable memories.
The historic site has less than a year left in operation at Lexden Road before its health services are merged with Colchester General Hospital, on a phased schedule, and shut completely in summer 2018.
Chris Howlett, director of estates and facilities at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Essex County Hospital, reports that progress is moving in the right direction.
He recently took over the project and anticipates services being able to begin relocating next spring as planned.
Essex County Hospital in Lexden
“Building work is well underway on the new Turner Diagnostic Centre, a partnership with Alliance Medical, which will provide Nuclear Medicine, MRI and PET-CT scanners,” he said.
“The trust is also converting the ground floor of the Gainsborough Wing building at Colchester Hospital to provide a new Breast Care Unit and refurbished outpatient and physiotherapy space.
“We expect both of these to be completed next February.
“The final phase of the project will convert two floors of the Colchester Primary Care Centre to house ophthalmology, audiology and ear, nose and throat services.
“This is expected to be completed in summer 2018 after which the Essex County Hospital site will close.”
Housing is set to replace the old Essex County Hospital as the trust works with Essex County Council to develop the site.
A planning application should be submitted later this year while the multi-million pound investment in new buildings and equipment at Colchester Hospital will provide state-of-the-art healthcare facilities for the benefit of local people.
The hospital in 1897. Photo: Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust
In the meantime, Essex University students have begun to look at ways of archiving this rich history and making it available for generations to come.
The website, echheritage.org, already features some of this material.
Photographs, memories, architectural drawings and even drone footage, will be continually added to the site.
Former projects director, Nick Chatten, was one of the trust’s staff collaborating with students Deborah Wiltshire, Kyle Cameron-Symes and Amy Powis and Dr Alix Green, of the university’s history department.
He said: “The County Hospital has been an important institution for Colchester and the surrounding area for generations. As someone who grew up here, the hospital is part of the fabric of the town for me.
“We have a unique opportunity to capture as much as we can of this history before the last services leave the site.
“I’m delighted Essex history students can play a central role in this project, which reflects our commitment to make and share the histories of this area, in partnership with the community and organisations.
“We hope people will add to what we already know about the hospital so I’d encourage anyone interested to get involved as the project progresses.”
Kyle Cameron-Symes and Deborah Wiltshire at Essex University's library
A book written by Dr John Penfold in 1984 chronicles the hospital since its opened in 1820 until the launch of the NHS in 1948.
The current history project, supported by funds from Colchester Medical Society and the Colchester League of Hospital and Community Friends, will focus on the hospital post-1950.
Material about the hospital is held by a number of organisations such as the Essex Record Office, in Chelmsford, and Colchester Recalled, which has hours of audio interviews recorded with former staff and patients.
“The hospital is rich in history and has many tales to tell,” Mr Chatten said.
“I realised just how interested people were in its history when we held an open day there two years ago and were overwhelmed by the number of people who turned up.
“The archive of materials could be a rich source for future academic learning and practical research skills development, and we see this project as early work that could develop into a longer-term relationship with the university’s history department.”
- Do you have any memories you would like to share of Essex County Hospital? If so, email echheritage@gmail.com or go to echheritage.org/contact.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here