Community History Project for Savernake Hospital (1866 onwards)

This exciting project will get underway in St Peter’s Church, Marlborough on Saturday 24th January open daily to Saturday 31st January 2009. (Closed on Sunday only) In 2009, it will be 150 years since the first cottage Hospital opened in England – Savernake is thought to be the third and opened in 1866.

We would like everyone who has photos, documents, letters or anything else they can find about Savernake Hospital, to bring them along. Turn out the cupboards or loft – we want to see what you have and hear your stories. Come to St Peter’s between 10am-4pm, there will be people to talk to, lots to look at and old newspapers to read.

If you have precious documents or photos – you might like to bring a photocopy of them rather than the original – details available of what to do in Quality Stationers, Hughenden Yard Marlborough. If you have memories or stories – come and tell us. If your family have lived in the area for a long time – you may find your ancestors mentioned – we’ve done lots of research and turned up many local names.

Our display boards will hold lots of fascinating material – but there will be gaps on them just waiting for you to fill. But of course – if you don’t have anything you are just as welcome to come and look! You may find a photo of yourself if you came to the Torchlight Rally the night the MIU closed. We’d be delighted if you’d help us out by reading some of the old newspapers on display and book marking the pages where there is a Savernake Hospital story.

We hope to see you in St Peter’s in the last week of what is usually the miserable month of January – it’s warm, good coffee or food available and I’ve heard that quite a few nurses who trained at Savernake under Matron Blackwell might be calling in! It probably won’t be a quiet week!

AND…. can anyone please tell us about the hospital donkey?

For further details:
Janet Louth 01672 513868
Val Compton valcompton@tiscali.co.uk
Visit www.friendsofsavernake.org