Our second class patients
Our second class patients
THE recent opening of Dewsbury and District Hospital's state-of-the-art diabetes centre was a triumph for local fundraisers.
Community groups and individual donors helped to raise thousands of pounds to get the much-needed clinic up and running.
But it's not the first time Batley folk have put their money where their mouth is to improve the health facilities on their doorstep.
Back in the mid-19th century, local people had to travel as far away as Leeds for clinic and hospital facilities.
In 1876, Dewsbury was given a new cottage hospital, on Northgate, and it finally looked like local people would have less of a journey on their hands.
But this was not to be. Reports soon came back from Batley patients that they were being made to wait until everyone from Dewsbury had been treated.
The final straw was when a Batley doctor, Dr Stockwell, was refused access to one of his patients and told to come back in visiting hours.
Soon the whole town was being rounded up for a public meeting to decide what to do. Convinced they were being treated like second-class citizens, the townsfolk decided to club together and build a hospital of their own.
The Earl of Wilton donated a piece of land off Carlinghow Hill and architect Walter Hanstock offered his services for free. Now, all the people of Batley needed to do was raise enough cash to get the hospital built.
Plenty of fundraisers and musical nights later, the foundation stone for a new cottage hospital was laid on Carlinghow Hill on Easter Monday, 1881.
The Earl of Wilton officially opened Batley and District General Hospital on Easter Tuesday 1883.
The hospital would go on to serve the town for more than 100 years, with a number of extensions and improvements over the years.
In 1908, a casualty department was built, along with two extra wards and an examination room.
And in 1928 a 40,000 extension saw the hospital get a brand new entrance, kitchens, an X-ray department, nurses' rooms, two more wards, a casualty room, two operating theatres and a sterilising room.
But local people were struggling to raise money for such expensive projects every few years and the hospital soon found itself in debt.
Millowner Theodore Taylor stepped in with a donation of 15,000 and a new scheme was adopted to stop the same thing happening again.
Working people were asked to donate a penny a week to help keep the hospital coffers healthy. Each week volunteers visited mills, offices and shops to collect the money, which in later years rose to twopence and threepence.
As a thank-you, subscribers were offered cut-price treatment when they needed it.
The hospital closed its doors for good in 1988 and all medical care was transferred to the new Dewsbury and District Hospital, which, despite its name, is considered by locals to be on the Batley side of Staincliffe.
The grand old building was converted into a nursing home for the elderly, which is still open to this day.
Information taken from The History of Batley, by Malcolm Haigh.
- Thanks to all those who got in touch to help solve the mystery of why there was no Batley News printed this time 30 years ago.
It seems a national printers' strike prevented the News and many other local papers from hitting the stands for two weeks running in 1980.
lIf a Past Times article brings back any memories for you, do get in touch.
Email claire.armstrong@ywng.co.uk, phone 01924 472121 or write to us at 11 Commercial Street, Batley, WF17 5HL.
FESTIVE: In this undated picture, one of the wards at Batley hospital is decked up for a celebration.
DINNER TIME: Two cooks get the food ready for patients at Batley hospital.
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Weather for Batley
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Light rain
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