Flat Holm Cholera Isolation Hospital (including the Laundry and Doctor’s House)

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The monument comprises the ruinous remains of a cholera hospital, laundry and doctor’s house, which were built in the Victorian period (AD 1837-1901). The hospital compound was located on the island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, taking advantage of its remote location from the mainland. A tented isolation hospital was established by Cardiff Corporation in 1884 following Government warnings in 1883 regarding the risks posed by cholera-infected sailors returning from abroad. In 1886 a farm outbuilding was converted to create a permanent, small hospital, but its capacity was overwhelmed. A larger, purpose-built hospital (Item A) was designed by the Borough Engineer of Cardiff in line with the Local Government Board’s model plans of 1895. Construction was completed in 1896. It is aligned NNE-SSW and measures 34m in length by 18m in width. It comprised a pavilion style, single storey symmetrical block with gabled cross-wing to centre and end porches. It was built from red brick with external cement render, with slate roofs and three rear stacks and ridge ventilators. Internally, the building had two six-bed wings that were separated by a central nursing station. The laundry building (Item B) is located 45m NW of Item A. It is aligned N-S and measures 11m in length by 5m in width. It utilised the same materials and construction techniques as the main hospital block with the addition of a raised clerestory/ventilator above the roof. There was a wash-house to the south and an ironing room with drying house to the north. The Doctor’s House (Item C) is located c. 40m E of Item B and 12m N of Item A. It measures 14m in length E-W by 5m in width N-S. The hospital’s catchment area expanded to include Barry, Barnstable, Bridgewater and Watchet before closure in 1935.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of healthcare systems and the State’s response to controlling disease epidemics. Flat Holm's cholera hospital was built as part of a much wider movement by local authorities to control communicable diseases. It provides strong archaeological evidence of changing attitudes to the sick, and the design - for example the use of small wards to reduce cross-infection, overt ventilation and an isolated nursing station - says much about changing social attitudes and the impact of science on architecture. The monument is well-preserved and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits, relating to chronology, building techniques and architectural detail. The buildings were functionally inter-dependent and possess important group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and an area around within which related evidence may be expected to survive. The scheduled area is an irregular polygon in shape. It is centred on OS NGR 321982 164902 and measures 74m in length E-W by 61m transversely.