In 1887 Edward Luce died of typhoid at the age of 24. He was the eldest son of Charles Richard Luce who lived at Halcombe (now called Malmesbury Manor) which you can see on the skyline above Foxley Road. Charles must have thought grief could have been spared if there were better medical facilities in town. Therefore in 1889 he opened a Cottage Hospital in premises due north of the Market Cross that had been used as the Prince & Princess pub. This pub had been bought by his father Thomas in 1838 when he was developing the brewery business centred on the Postern Mill, now the site of the Maltings. The countess of Suffolk added the Maternity wing in 1892 at Cranmore House (where Abbeyfield are now). It seems that the main building was inadequate so in 1893 Charles bought the Free Sabbath School next door on the corner of the lane leading to Abbey House. At the same time he transferred the ownership of the enlarged site to a trust with 12 Trustees drawn from the great and good of the district.
Again further improvement was needed so in 1896/7 the whole of Prince & Princess and School was demolished and re-erected - the premises now occupied by the Whole Hog. The interior was fitted out at a cost of £1,200 raised by public subscription. This new building had eight beds, three male, three female and two private as well as an operating theatre, In its first year 47 cases were treated.
It seems that the town's General Practitioners at the outset ran the hospital with its specialists being called in when necessary. Annual contributions from the landed gentry subscribed to its running and they could provide a 'letter of introduction' for any employee who needed treatment to exempt them from charges. In 1910 the Board of Guardians were charged 7s 6d. per week when one of the Workhouse inmates had to be admitted to the Cottage Hospital. Rule 2 stated that "Patients of unsound mind, epilepsy, enteric, infections and contagious or incurable disease shall NOT be admitted".
By the end of WWI the hospital was too small. Although an annex containing seven beds had been added in 1920 larger premises were needed. More room was required for patients and since only the Matron could be accommodated, houses had to be rented for the other nurses. The trustees explored the possibility of extending the Market Cross premises but the cost, £7,000, and other problems such as noise of motor traffic (even though straw was often laid on nearby roads to deaden the sound) caused them to abandon the idea.
Fund-raising started and in 1924 Bill Wheadon, a local hairdresser, was the prime mover behind the first Carnival which contributed £507 10s. Up until the National Health Service Act 1946 the Carnival continued to contribute to the hospital, although it also supported other projects such as the swimming pool. Now the League of Friends provides extra finance.
Joe Moore, the Chairman of the Trustees bought the Manor House, Burton Hill at auction in London on 29th July 1925 for £8,000 from Herbert Lushington Storey. H. L. Storey had moved to Malmesbury from Lancaster in 1919 to hunt with the Beaufort. He had made his fortune through Storey Brothers, a major oilcloth manufacturer started by his uncle. The Manor could not accommodate all of Herbert's horses so in 1925 he bought Burton Hill House and moved across the road. He had been a great benefactor in his native town but in the slump of the early 1920s had to honour a personal guarantee to a financial institution and so was unable to give his old house to a good cause.
The Manor House had seven bedrooms, two bathrooms, a bath dressing room, five servant's bedrooms with one bathroom, five reception rooms and 'Domestic Offices' comprising a lofty kitchen, scullery, butler's pantry, brushing room and servants' hall. The old hospital was closed on 12th December 1925 and was subsequently sold for £4,870 to James Jones the owner of a Department Store in the High Street to be turned into another shop. South Western Gas Corporation used it as a showroom and offices between 1935 and 1964, then it became a cafe, a restaurant before once again becoming a pub in 1991. The Countess of Suffolk agreed to sell the Maternity wing at the Market Cross for £1,000 and this sum was donated to the project.
The new premises were opened on 16th January 1926, having cost a further £2,414 15s 4d. to adapt. Here there was an operating theatre, 30 beds, five private wards and six maternity beds, as well as accommodation for the staff and an on-site laundry. The staff comprised a matron, two sisters, two staff nurses, five probationers and a sister midwife. at this time there was a weekly report in the local newspapers recording those who had made gifts to the hospital which usually comprised vegetables, flowers, cakes, meat or papers.
The services offered by the hospital have expanded over the years - an Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic was added in 1930, a Heart Clinic in 1931 and a Speech Therapist after 1947. The Malmesbury Community Hospital is now run by the Kennet & North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust. Abbey Ward has 19 in-patient beds and the Maternity Unit has five beds. Until the end of the 1990s the Casualty (Minor Injuries) Department offered 24-hour cover but it is now open from 9am to 5pm daily. The operating theatre closed about 10 years ago and a few years later a day surgical unit was opened. This unit is used by General Practitioners from Gable House and by consultants who come from Bath and Swindon. Endoscopies, Cystocopies and Colposcopies are the main procedures carried out. Over 30 outpatients clinics are held each month. The hospital now specialises in maternity cases from a wide area, nursing of the elderly, convalescence and terminal care. Also using the same site is Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Mental Health (in the process of closing), Administration, Hotel Services and X-ray Departments.
It is ironic that the administrators are seeking to save money by downgrading the services provided by this much appreciated facility, central government is extolling the virtues and benefits that result from treatment at such small hospitals.
