Hertford County Hospital

Hertford County Hospital is situated in the town of Hertford, county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is run by the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

The history of the hospital starts in 1822 when a General Dispensary was established in one room of Hertford Castle 'for the relief of the sick poor by affording them gratuitous advice and medicine'.James Gascoyne-Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Salisbury, then Lord-Lieutenant of the county was elected patron and president.

On 17 July 1832 the foundation stone of the new hospital was laid by the Bishop of Lincoln in whose diocese Hertford was, and the doors of the General Infirmary, as it was then known, were opened to in-patients less than a year later; 47 being admitted in the first six months.

Beer was brewed and served at the hospital, six barrels being on the first years accounts, and one and a half barrels of porter (which was given for blood disorders).

Over the years the hospital suffered a number of financial crises, being supported by various fund raising activities and subscriptions by the people of the town and surrounding areas. Subscribers included Professor T. R. Malthus, Baron Dimsdale and Earl Cowper, By 1835, the financial crisis had limited the number of in-patient beds to 10, but during the following years this number was increased. Electricity was installed in 1902 and the hospital gained its present name in 1908.

In 1932, a hundred years after the founding of the hospital, it was re-built, enlarged, and modernised throughout at a cost of £72,000, and in 1975 a large extension was provided for out-patients.

In 2003, work began on the development of a much-needed brand new hospital on the same site. This new £8.5 million facility opened its doors to patients in November 2004. The official opening by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Sir Simon Bowes Lyon, KCVO, took place on 9 September 2005.

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