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FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL BRIEFING PAPER

Farnham an Unhealthy Town

In Victorian times great concern was expressed about the health of the nation. The government was

identifying a worrying increase in infectious diseases. The Farnham area was especially backward in

creating a healthy environment for its residents. The twin essentials for good health, a supply of

wholesome water and the provision for the removal of human waste were far from a reality in the

town and its surrounding districts.

A Farnham Water Company had been set up in 1836 but, by 1884, only about 1 in 4 of the houses in

the town had a piped water supply and it was not the early part of the 20th Century that the

surrounding districts, including Wrecclesham, were able to access mains water. Most houses at this

time were dependent upon water obtained from wells and springs, which were found both to the

north and south of the town. In Farnham, for those who had no access to wells or springs, there were

communal facilities in the form of the town pump or the water carrier known as ‘Old Tom’. George

Sturt describes:

‘Old Tom’ ladling out water from his barrel and delivering it to customers at a

penny or a halfpenny a bucket. 1

In the 1890’s the Medical Officer for the Farnham Urban Council reported at each monthly meeting

on the state of the town’s health. He reported that: ‘Illnesses that beset the town at this time

included Diphtheria, Typhoid, Scarlatina, Erisypelas, Scarlet Fever, Smallpox and Croup.’ 2

Farnham a Smelly Town

Even in Victorian times open ditches carried human waste products of the town to the River Wey.

There was no mains drainage and most houses relied for their sanitation on cesspits and privies. In

some cases, there was only a single septic tank serving more than one home. Emptying cesspits and

privies was done by men specially employed for the job, called the Night Soil Men. House owners were

required to pay for this service and poorer families frequently deferred emptying which led to very

offensive smells. In 1866 Farnham appointed an ‘Inspectors of Nuisances’ who would report

overflowing privies or offensive cesspits.

Apart from the nuisance of smell, the practice of releasing sewage into the rivers and the frequency of

overflowing privies and cesspits led to contaminated liquids entering the water table where the wells

and streams became contaminated. Writing in a book concerning the mode of contamination by

diphtheria of water in London, Dr John Snow wrote:

‘The least trace of filth from a cesspit drain, or a manure heap, converts

drinking water into an insidious poison fraught with disease and death.’ 3

A very detailed analysis of deaths and infectious diseases in the town is contained in the

excellent publication by Brigid Fice, ‘Death in Victorian Farnham.’4

1 George Sturt – A Small Boy in the Sixties

2 Bill Ewbank Smith – Victorian Farnham -1971.

3 Dr. John Snow – On the Mode of Communication of Cholera -1849.

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Ill Health in Wrecclesham

The situation in the village of Wrecclesham was equally worrying. Information gained both

from church records and school log books confirms the situation to be most unsatisfactory. In

the period 1840 – 1886 the St Peter’s Church burial records show that 384, or 44%, of the 873

burials were for children under 10.

The supply of clean drinking water was a constant problem. In the 1850’s there were several

instances of boys at St Peter’s School being sent down to the river to collect this basic

necessity. People living in the Hatches were known to obtain their water from the nearby

River Wey. The Vicar, Rev Henry Julius, set to work to try to alleviate this problem. His

daughter Florence Stevens in a book of her memoirs, ‘To the Vicarage Born’, records that:

‘in 1855 water became very scarce and I remember seeing men and women

carrying two pails from yokes on their shoulders. My father determined that this

should not happen again, so he consulted Mr. John Paine who gave two plots of

land, one at the entrance to the village, and one further up, and they had two

enormous tanks made and fitted with pumps, and the water from above drained

into them and gave an excellent supply. This was free to everyone…. These tanks

went on for many years and were a great boon.’ 5

To raise funds for this facility the Vicar organised a bazaar. Although Florence Stevens suggests that

the water was free, the residents had to pay a small sum - 1d. a week - to use the facility.

Unfortunately, it had to be closed later as the Medical Officer of Health felt that the water was

impure. It was not until 1909, 50 years later, that a guaranteed water supply was provided in the

village, and mains drainage was not secured until the 1930’s. There were many larger houses in the

village that had their own wells, or pumped water from the lower strata of the ground, but these

were not felt to be totally reliable.

The Old Vicarage

The Old Vicarage had a somewhat sad record. The first Vicar of Wrecclesham, Rev Durant Buttemer

provides a tragic example. Between 1848 and 1852 he and his wife had 14 children. Of these 7 died

before they reached their 10th birthday. Five of Buttemer’s children had been born in the Old

Vicarage, three of whom died in, 1850, within five years after leaving the Wrecclesham Vicarage.

Nor was this the end of the sadness’s associated with the Vicarage. In 1870 Rev Julius’s youngest

daughter, Madeline, died, at the tender age of 14, while suffering from typhoid. Moreover, Henry’s

niece, Ella, also died of typhoid in that same year, whilst staying in the vicarage with her uncle.These

sad events may be coincidental; however, it is known that typhoid is a water borne disease.

4Brigid Fice, Death in Victorian Farnham. Farnham and District Museum Society Occasional Publication,

5 Florence Stevens. To the Vicarage Born. Farnham and District Museum Society Publication.

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In 1896, Farnham had the worst figures in Surrey for the prevalence of typhoid, which was thought

to be due to the substantial number of polluted shallow wells which were in use for drinking

purposes.6

St Peter’s School

The Head Teacher’s Log Book of St Peter’s School, at the turn of the century, provide further

evidence of issues that may reflect on the health of the young people from the parishes in South

Farnham.7

1881 A very hot summer we have had no water on the premises for a long time.

1885 Water very scarce in the neighbourhood – this makes it bad for the girl’s sewing.

1889 Sickness – measles, diphtheria, mumps, whooping cough – are recorded over and over once again

during the next few years – The village seems to have been very unhealthy in this period.

1891 The Water supply of the Parish is nearly exhausted. In my own house we have used snow water for a

long time – I have come to school without washing and without breakfast.

1892 We are quite out of water; the boys have to fetch every drop.

1900 Absence of water ‘We have only rain water to depend on’ We have to send out and beg for water

from place to place.

1900 Mr Parratt sent up some water from River Row twice during the week. Mr Blake brought a barrel to

hold it.

1901 School closed by Medical Officer due to prevalence of Scarletina. - 42 children still in isolation

hospital. School fumigated;

1903 Pit Closets converted into earth closet.

1903 Water laid on at the school.

1906 Difficulty with drainage, cesspits etc reported. In December 120 children absent on account of

mumps, diphtheria and scarlet fever.

1907 Permission for swimming lessons in the river granted.

1910 The school should have re-opened but only 97 children out of 218 were present - absence due to

a) Hopping b) Whooping Cough.

The Hatches

I conclude this part of the Briefing Paper by quoting from the memory of a lady who once lived in the

Hatches. The Hatches today is probably a little-known part of Wrecclesham. In the 19th Century, before the

advent of motor cars, it was an important thoroughfare and one of the principal walking routes to Farnham.

The byway, which leaves the village on the Wrecclesham Road at the end of Fairthorne Terrace, extended

beyond Weydon Mill to enter Red Lion Lane, which emerges in the centre of Farnham, at Bridge Square. The

track, for it is little more than that, is bounded on its northern side by the River Wey which meanders

through attractive fields. Situated literally in the flood plain of the Wey, the Hatches is bounded to the south

by rising ground, which has constrained the buildings on that side.

Although probably built at a slightly earlier date, the main cluster of houses in the Hatches is shown in the

Winchester Pipe Rolls as being in existence in 1819. Referring to her grandfather she records that:

6 Annual Report of the Registrar General 1847 p. xiii.

7 Children at St Peter’s School at this time were drawn from parishes across the southern part of the town, including

Wrecclesham, Upper and Lower Bourne, Tilford, Rowledge and Frensham

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‘Life was hard. He was the eldest of 12 and his morning wash was in the River Wey

that ran just along the house. Sometimes he would have to crack the ice. Poor chap he

must have been not much more than 12 years old when he started working in the

gravel pit. He had to earn a living. He was one of 12 children, his father was a hop

garden worker, earning perhaps 10/- a week, the bob or two that the boys could earn

meant one more meal they could all eat. Don’t let anyone tell you that they were the

good old days. I can remember my four girl cousins used to sleep four in a bed, two at

the top and two at the bottom. My grandfather used to tell me that when he was

small they lived in a cottage on the river bank down the Hatches, the only water was

the river Wey which the cattle used as well! No wonder the kids all had a turn up at

the isolation hospital in Green Lane, with scarlet fever and the like. The ‘bog’ was up in

the garden under a big fruit tree and quite an expedition on a wet and windy night. 8

Cottages in the Hatches alongside the River Wey

Infectious Diseases and Isolation.

Farnham was not alone at this time in suffering from poor health. In the late 1880’s the

Government issued several Acts of Parliament addressing the problems of infectious diseases. The Infectious Disease (Notification) Act first appeared on the UK national statute books in 1889. It

was compulsory in London and optional in the rest of the country. It later became a mandatory law

with the Infectious Diseases Notification (Extension) Act, 1899. These acts required householders

and/or general practitioners to report cases of infectious disease to the local sanitary authority. The

following diseases were covered by the acts: smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, membranous

croup. erysipelas, scarlatina or scarlet fever, typhus fever, typhoid fever, enteric fever. Following receipt of a notification certificate, the local authority's Medical Officer of Health could pursue existing

public health laws, such as the Public Health Act 1875, to isolate patients in hospital.

8 Information provided by Barbara Maskell with quotation from her Grandmother.

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Local authorities were encouraged by the Ministry of Health to establish Isolation hospitals in order to keep

infectious diseases under control. Where the population was insufficient to justify such provision, they were

invited to join forces with neighbouring authorities to provide the facilities jointly. In Surrey and North West

Hampshire, the following Joint Hospital Boards were established.

Caterham and Westerham Cuddington (Epsom and Sutton)

Reigate Ottershaw

Guildford and Godalming Wandle Valley(Carshalton)

Aldershot Alton

In 1890 the County Council urged Farnham Urban Authority to join forces with the Farnham Rural Authority to

provide an Isolation Hospital.

Prior to this those suffering with infectious disease were admitted to one of the two ‘pest houses’ in the

Farnham area9. Brigid Fice rather graphically described this procedure as:

‘a one-way trip to avoid the infection becoming an epidemic.’10

In 1893 the Local Government Board once more prompted Farnham to provide an Isolation Hospital, either by

themselves or in conjunction with adjoining authorities. This led to a meeting in Sep 1893 of two

representatives from each of the two Farnham authorities, to which the chairman of Frimley Parish was also

invited. The meeting agreed that it was desirable to have an isolation hospital and to invite the authorities to

appoint representatives to a subcommittee which would:

‘Draw up a report as to the site for the hospital and its probable cost.’

Two years went by before this Joint Committee reported back to their authorities requesting that:

‘a hospital be provided by a voluntary contribution of the three authorities under section 131 of

the Public Health Act, 1875. The subcommittee was empowered to purchase the necessary land to

carry such recommendation into effect.’ 11

In May 1896 the Joint Committee reported that they had purchased 11¼ acres of land known as High

Elms, in Weydon Lane. and asked the constituent authorities to provide the money to pay for it.

In the Autumn of 1896 it was reported that the Local Government Board had sanctioned the loan of £270 to

purchase the land.

In May 1897 the Guardians gave notice that no more cases of infectious diseases would be admitted to the

Workhouse after the end of the year. That left eight months for the Joint Committee to complete the deal,

for the land, get their building up and provide the beds.

In July 1897 Mr Crundwell, the Clerk to the Farnham Rural Authority, announced that the plans for the

Isolation Hospital were estimated to cost £4, 997, and suggested that the Urban Authority should get a

sanction to borrow their proportion without delay.

9 One of the Pest Houses was in Hog hatch, in Hale, the other in the Bourne.

10 Brigid Fice – Death in Victorian Farnham.

11 Frimley in the event did not progress their involvement in the Joint Authority.

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The Urban authority asked for a meeting with the Rural Council to discuss the whole matter. At a meeting on

15th July, despite some attempt to prune the estimate, the project was given the go ahead.

At this late stage the Local Government Board insisted that the isolation hospital should be surrounded by a

corrugated iron fence of at least 6½ ft. in height. The Council agreed but only if the Board would sanction the

loan for an additional £00.

In August 1897 the Joint Committee accepted a tender of Messrs. Thomsett & Co, in the sum of £5,668, for

building two wards, each to contain ten beds, (instead of three wards with 10, 8 and 4 beds as originally

planned) and the total cost, excluding furniture, would be £6,118. The deadline for the admission of patients

to the workhouse on 31st Dec 1897 came and went with the Councils frantically trying to borrow a further

£300 to erect an iron building to serve as a temporary ward until the hospital was built.

Work on a permanent building commenced in 1898, and was completed in Jan 1899. The facilities at the

outset consisted of 2 wards, containing 10 beds, road making, fencing and professional fees.

Map Showing Location of Farnham Isolation Hospital12

The hospital opened in May 1898 with the Iron building that had formerly been in use for St Peter’s School in

Wrecclesham13. 29 cases were admitted – 24 with scarlet fever and 5 with diphtheria. In 1899, 64 cases

were admitted: 45 cases of scarlet fever, 18 of diphtheria and 1 of Typhoid Fever. 62 patients recovered.

There were 2 deaths.

12

Access to the land on which the hospital was built was from Weydon Lane, now known as Bardsley Drive. 13

The building had been in use for St Peter’s School and located at the Land on School Hill initially reserved for the extension of the Wrecclesham Cemetery. In 1909 it was moved to Little Green Lane to accommodate the Infants classes until new accommodation was completed.

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Hospital Rules

The Joint Committee was set up by agreement in October 1896, Under Section 131 of the Public Health Act

and Section 57 of the Local Government Act with the following rules.

1. The Hospital shall be open for all cases of Enteric Fever, Typhus Fever or Asiatic Cholera and with the

sanction of the Medical Officer any other infectious diseases, provided the patient is a bona fide resident of

the Districts of the Joint Isolation Hospital Committee comprising the Parishes of Ash, Dockenfield, Farnham

Road, Frensham, Seale and Shottermill in the Farnham Rural District Council and the Parish of Farnham

constituting the Farnham Urban District Council.

2. Application for admission shall be made in the first instance to the Medical Officer.

3. The Joint Committee should be based upon the population of the two Districts which gave the Farnham

Urban District Council 3 members, and the Farnham Rural District Council 5 members.

4. The Hospital shall be in the charge of a resident Matron.

View of Farnham Isolation Hospital early 20th Century.14

14

This postcard was sent in March 1905. The picture shows the approach drive from Weydon Lane with the hospital buildings in the former hop fields beyond.

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Bumbledom.

As has been evidenced above there was a lot of talk but action was slow. It seemed that Farnham Rural

Authority and Farnham Urban Authority15 were somewhat unsatisfactory bedfellows. This issue beset the

Isolation Hospital from the outset and was eventually to lead to legal action16 to determine their relationship.

As the more populous authority Farnham Rural had a majority of members on the Joint Committee which was

seen as the villagers ‘tail’, wagging the urban ‘dog’. The Joint Committee was ambitious to expand the

facilities of the hospital and felt that they were entitled to commit both authorities to expenditure which

usually led to delay and resistance from the urban authority

Brigid Fice referred to this as ‘Bumbledom’17 and it was only resolved when the boundaries of Farnham Urban

were extended to embrace more of the surrounding villages, including Wrecclesham.18

The Joint Committee Chairmen

It was probably inevitable that the Farnham Rural authority, which had the larger membership of the Joint

Committee, would appoint one of its members as Chairman. From the outset the Chairman was George

Frederick Roumieu. George was a man of many talents. As a young Barrister, in 1882, he was appointed as

County Coroner to the Surrey County Council, a position he held with distinction for 30 years.

A committed Wrecclesham resident, he lived in Willey Park, he was also an influential member of St Peter’s

Church, a Churchwarden for 25 years, a Trustee of the Knight’s Almshouses for 19 years and an active Trustee

and Governor of St Peter’s School.

However, George had a significant and active life beyond Wrecclesham. He was active in Farnham and

beyond. Apart from being the Chairman of the Farnham Isolation Hospital Joint Committee, he was also

Chairman of the Wey Valley Water Company, a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Farnham Board of

Guardians.

At a National level he was President of both the Coroner’s Society for England and Wales, and of the British

Dairy Farmer’s Association. He was a well-known judge of Cattle and officiated in that capacity at the

principal shows in England and at the Royal Irish Show, a Freeman of the City of London and a Director of

several London companies.

A committed Mason, George was a member of the St Andrews Lodge in Farnham. In the early part of the 20th

Century he had moved to live at Bethune House in West Street where he died on 14th November 1912, at the

relatively young age of 60. He is buried in Farnham’s West Street Cemetery. A window is dedicated to his

memory in St Peter’s Church.

George Roumieu remained as Chairman for 16 years. While none of the succeeding Chairmen was to serve for

this length of time, the hospital benefited from the experience of 6 more Chairmen during its active lifetime.

A list of the Chairmen of the Farnham Isolation Hospital is included at Appendix 1.

15

Frimley had shown interest at the outset but this was not eventuated. 16 Public Enquiry 1907. Dispute between Farnham UDC and Farnham RDC regarding the building of an Observation

Block.

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Early Years

Despite the problems in the Joint Committee, the Isolation Hospital was soon providing a useful

service, not just for the two authorities but more widely. At this time several authorities in Surrey had no

Isolation Hospital of their own. It was soon evident that several Surrey Local authorities were making use of

the Farnham hospital and were paying a separate charge for this service. At this time there were six Surrey

authorities, representing a population of 105,000, which had no isolation facilities.

At a meeting of the Farnham Urban Authority in 1891 the Medical Officer was congratulated on

‘the efficient manner in which the hospital was being run’.19

After two unsuccessful early appointments of Matron, the hospital was run by the resident Matron, Ellen

Hewitt, under the direction of the Medical Officer of Health for Farnham. It was this lack of a resident doctor

that prompted the ambition of the Joint Committee in 1907 to seek to build an Observation Block into which

patients could be admitted to await assessment. The Joint Committee were of the opinion that both

authorities, Farnham Urban and Farnham Rural, were obligated to contribute to the additional capital cost of

this new building. However, Farnham Urban Authority refused to pay and the matter was taken to Judicial

Review. The Court Judgement was that the Joint Committee could not demand such a payment. Despite this

example of the two authorities being at odds with one another in relationship to the Joint Partnership, the

hospital still performed a valuable service to the authorities in SW Surrey. The Isolation Block was added at a

later date.

Ambulances

In order to collect patients suffering from Infectious Diseases the hospital had to maintain an ambulance and

drivers. At the outset these were horse drawn vehicles which created additional problems of animal

husbandry. For collecting patients from a long distance two horses were required. The Porter was the

driver on most occasions. Reference is made to ‘Horse Hire’ in the accounts which suggests that from time

to time there was need for backup to be provided. In 1924 the horse drawn vehicles were sold and

replaced by motorised ambulances but the majority of those purchased were second hand vehicles and the

maintenance requirement and replacement of ambulances was a regular cause for entry in the minutes of

the Hospital Committee.

Arrangements with other authorities

In the early years of the 20th Century a few of the authorities that had no isolation facilities of their own

entered into formal agreement with the Joint Committee that their patients might be accepted on payment

of an appropriate charge. During this time arrangements were in place with the following authorities:

Frimley

Hambledon

Haslemere

Hartley Wintney

Midhurst

19

Ewbank Smith – Victorian Farnham.

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The 1911 Census

The 1911 Census provides a useful reference point for the Farnham Isolation Hospital

The hospital’s facilities recorded in this Census were as follows:

Administrative Block

Scarlet Fever Block

Diphtheria Block

Observation Block20

Convalescent Block

Staff resident at the Hospital on the day of the Census were as follows:

Matron

4 Nurses

Cook

Laundress

2 Ward Maids

Housemaid

Hospital Porter

6 Patients (3 from London 3 Not Known)

1914- 1918 - First World War.

The Hospital Minutes suggest that the First World War had very little effect on the working of the Isolation

Hospital. At the outbreak of the war there were discussions with the military authorities which had requested

that treatment for Infectious Diseases among soldiers might be undertaken in Farnham. However, there was

little evidence of any use of the hospital by the military over the next four years.

The only other references in the Minutes that might be war related were:

discussion with the police about blackout of windows

reference to difficulty in obtaining coal supplies, and

a greater emphasis on use of the garden for food supplies.

Throughout the period there were continuing discussions with the neighbouring authorities about the

financial and practical arrangements for dealing with their patients.

The Post War Years

There was in fact little change in the work of the hospital immediately following the War. Various

arrangements had been made with Haslemere UDC and Hambledon RDC for the accommodation of their

patients. However, in Oct 1931, the County Council brought all the Isolation Hospitals in Surrey together in

20 It is evident that by this time the dispute over the Observation Block, which led to Legal Proceedings between the two authorities,

had been resolved.

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order to discuss a revision of the County’s Joint Isolation Hospital areas. By this time Farnham Rural Authority

had ceased to exist. Those villages close to the town had been absorbed and those further afield had been

allocated to the Hambledon Rural District Council. Following discussion, it was agreed that the Farnham Joint

Isolation Hospital should in the future cover Farnham Urban District Council, Haslemere Urban District Council

and those parishes in Hambledon District Council which were closest to Farnham. i.e. Frensham, Dockenfield,

Elstead, Peper Harrow, Tilford, Thursley, Witley, Chiddingfold and Hambledon.

It was agreed that the membership of the Joint Committee, and the precept payable, should be based upon

the rateable value of the constituent authorities. As follows:

Farnham UDC - 4 representatives

Haslemere UDC - 3 representatives and

Hambledon RDC - 3 representatives

The Precept for 1934, on the basis of an estimated annual cost of the hospital of £1709, was:

Rateable Value Precept

Farnham UDC £136,246 £684

Haslemere UDC £109202 £561

Hambledon RDC £93,034 £464

The Inter War Years.

The Minutes of the Joint Committee suggest that the Isolation Hospital continued to provide a valued service

in South West Surrey throughout the 20’s and 30’s. The staff and facilities grew exponentially during this

period. In 1935 it was recorded that the facilities at the hospital provided a total of 34 beds in the following

units of accommodation:

Administration Block

Scarlet Fever Block - 16 beds

Diphtheria Block - 14beds

Observation Block - 4 beds

At this time the 3 authorities who were members of the Joint Committee were Farnham Urban District

Council, Haslemere Urban District Council and Hambledon Rural District Council (part only). The population

served by the Joint Committee was 44,000. The 1934/35 estimate was £1700, which was contributed by the

following precept. Farnham £750, Haslemere £536 and Hambledon £414.

The Joint Committee was advised that the recommended standard of accommodation for Isolation Hospitals

was 1 bed per 1000, of which one third should be of the cubicle type. On this basis the Farnham Joint

Committee was deficient by at least 10 beds, As the hospital currently had no cubicle accommodation it was

recommended that at least a further 12 beds should be provided and that these should be of a cubicle type.

The Joint Committee agreed that a new Cubicle Bock should be provided which should contain 8 x single bed

cubicles and 2x 2 bed cubicles. The cost of this new building would be £557 and should be divided as follows,

Farnham £245, Haslemere £175 and Hambledon £135. The new cubicle block was opened for use in June

1937.

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1939 - 1945 The Second World War

As with World War 1 the effect of the outbreak of World War 2 made only minor difference to the activity of

the Isolation hospital.

The first significant event in WWII was the death of the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. H.J. Ealand. Although

the Matron dealt with the day to day activity of the Isolation Hospital the overall responsibility was that of the

Medical Officer of Health. It was he who was responsible for all admissions to the hospital and who was a

constant visitor and important member of the Joint Committee. At the time of his death, Dr. Ealand had been

Medical Officer of Health for 36 years. He had been fortunate that he had been able to rely on two long

serving Matrons, Ellen Howitt and Florence Mann, who had directed the work of the hospital over this

period.21

At their meeting in September 1939 the Clerk to the Joint Council advised that the cost of air raid precautions

to the hospital would be between £1,100 and £1,200, which would not rank for Government grant. A number

of other emergency measures had to be carried out on the hospital in the early years of the war. Among these

were:

the hospital would admit Air Raid Casualties suffering from Infectious Diseases;

the staff were to be given a 6% War Bonus;

several members of staff were acknowledged as being in a reserved occupation and therefore not

liable to conscription;

the hospital was fitted with blackout and blast walls were fitted on external doors and protection was

to be made to all windows.;

disinfection facilities in the building would be made available to any affected troops;

among the patient were a number of evacuee children whose treatment was paid for byLondon local

authorities.

In addition to the above, in 1941, the Ministry of Health requested that they would like to erect huts to

accommodate one 20 bed unit, 1 x 12 bed cubicle unit and 1 staff unit. In the event this did not happen.

Meanwhile the work of the hospital in the neighbourhood carried on as before. At this time the nursing

establishment available to the Matron, Miss Fiona Macdonald, was 1 Nursing Sister, 7 staff nurses, 6 assistant

nurses. The net cost of the hospital for 1939/1940 was £5,200 which was divided among the three authorities

as follows:

Farnham Urban District Council £2,502

Haslemere Urban District Council £1,516

Hambledon Rural District Council £1,382

In 1940 the Joint Committee was advised that the Guildford Isolation Hospital was to be closed and that the

rural villages to the West of Guildford, i.e. Ash, Normandy, Seale, Tongham, Puttenham Wanborough,

Shackleford, Compton together with Godalming Borough would be looking to the Farnham Isolation Hospital

to accept patients with infectious diseases from these areas. It was agreed that where this use was possible it

would be provided at a charge of £3 -3-0 per week

21

Appendix 1 provides the details of both the Medical Officers of Health and Matrons who had served the hospital in the 50-year

period between 1897 and 1947.

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The Final Years

This Briefing Paper has been informed by a number of Minute Books and Admission Registers which date from

the opening of the hospital in 1897.22 The last Minute Book that has been accessed is dated 27th April 1948.In

1948 the Joint Committee was advised by the Ministry of Health that all the Isolation Hospitals were planned

to be transferred to the County Council or anew Joint Authority. Details of the transfer from local to more

central control have not yet been unearthed. It is known that the hospital remained in use until 1979 when

the land was developed for housing by the Farnham Town Council.

Records of the use of the facilities in the period 1948-1979 have to date not been made available. I am

slightly reliant upon the memories of local people for the activity during this period.

Pearl Sawkins advised me that her husband worked for the NHS at Green Lane hospital from October 1966

until December 1972. ‘we lived in one of the new houses allocated for rent to the NHS by Farnham District

Council when Bardsley Drive was built. At that time the two smaller wards were used for patients needing

isolation and the two larger wards were used for people with dementia. It was shortly after this that the site

was redeveloped and used for mental health people. Not long after it was demolished and houses built on the

site’.

Tony Deadman advised that: ‘after 1979 it was I believe, a long(ish) stay mental health facility (some really

needy people were there) under SW Surrey HA. The properties were later split off during the division of the NHS

ready for potential privatisation. Green Lane was run by the provider Heathlands NHS Trust, after 1996, then

by Surrey & Borders. Crown Immunity was also revoked, putting the NHS on the same footing as the private

sector and paving the way for providers to pay tax on property or sell it. ‘

There is no doubt that there had been a general improvement in the health of the population over the life of

the Isolation Hospital, and in consequence a reduction in the need for an Isolation Hospital. However, the

Hospital had survived for around 80 years until it was finally closed in 1979.

Although there is a wealth of material in the Joint Committees records there are few statistical records. In its

broadest terms it has been assessed that there were over 7,000 admissions. It has not proved possible to

undertake more detailed analysis. However, a sample from the Admission Registers suggest that in the early

years - 1899-1909 there were 2,415 admissions. The nightly average of patients present in the hospital in this

period was 16. These nightly figures ranged from 1 single patient to 44.

In the period 1928-1939 there were 2844 patients. 1309 of these patients were admitted with scarlet fever -

46%. The next highest figure was the 572 or 26% of patients who were suffering from diphtheria. An analysis

of 366 patients in the hospital in 1940/41 revealed the following range of illnesses being treated:

Scarlet Fever 203 - 55.5%

Diphtheria 79 - 21.6%

Measles 25 - 6.8%

Cerebral Spinal Meningitis 22 - 6.0%

Whooping Cough 17 - 4.6%

Chicken Pox 8 - 2.2%

Typhoid 6 - 1.6%

German Measles 3 - 0.8%

Rubella 3 - 0.8%

22

Kindly provided by Peter Harrod.

~ 14 ~

Closing comments

In researching this paper I have come across two interesting snippets of information which I am adding as a

postscript.

The Farnham Mammoth

In April 1935, during sewer laying operations at the Isolation Hospital, the archaeologist Major Wade found

the remains of a giant mammoth. The pieces consisted of a tusk a large shoulderbone and a molar two feet

long . In the same year enlargements were being carried out costing £16,500 .

The Champion Rat Catcher

The Gardener of the Isolation Hospital wrote to the Joint Committee asking if he could be recompensed for

catching rats. He had caught many since he began work and had bought rat traps for the purpose. One of the

members suggested that payment should be made at the rate of ‘four rats for a penny’. The Chairman Mr

Roumieu suggested that the customary payment was 1d. for each rat. It was agreed that this should be price

and that the gardener should cut off the tails of all rats caught by him and take them to the Matron who

would pay the remuneration.

~ 15 ~

APPENDIX 1.

FARNHAM ISOLATION HOSPITAL. CHAIRMEN AND MATRONS

Chairmen 1896-1912 G.F. Roumieu

1912-1916 W.T. Coleman

1916-1924 Col. G. Christie

1924-1927 Rev.H.R Hubbard

1927-1939 S. Lathey

1939-1946 H.G.Hale

1947-1948 Col G. Underhill

Matrons

1898 - 1899 Mrs A Wolf

1899- 1899 Miss Priestley

1900 - 1901 Miss Ellen Peat

1902-1909 Miss Ellen Howitt

1909- 1910 Miss M J Houlton

1911-1935 Miss Florence Mann

1935-1948 Miss Flora Macdonald

Medical Officers of Health

1897-1901 Dr. J.A Lorimer

1901-1939 Dr. H.J. Ealand.

1939 -1948 Dr. R. Bardsley