Queen Street Childrens Hospital
Coordinates: 54°35′54.40″N 5°56′00.00″W / 54.5984444°N 5.9333333°W This article concerns the building in Belfast Northern Ireland generally referred to as the Queen Street Childrens Hospital, the Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, and the Queen Street RUC Station. It was home to a childrens hospital from 1878 to 1932, and was a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks from 1933 to 2000. It has been effectively abandoned since then and is visibly deteriorating.
The building was granted a listed status in 1979.
The initial meeting was held at 25 King Street, Belfast on May 15th 1873. The event was presided over by James Henderson, who would eventually become Lord Mayor of the city. It was attended by 15 other gentlemen representing major industries at the time.
A Board of Management was set up to establish funding and run the resulting medical practice. The main focus was to provide healthcare to the impoverished in a time where government assistance was unknown. The building and general running costs had to come from the public. In deference to this, the original writing which spanned all three storeys on the front of the finished hospital would read; Erected A.D.1878 By Voluntary - Subscriptions And Donations - Belfast Hospital For Sick Children.
Some of the more prominent founding Board members were;
Darbishire once said of that first meeting;
"...a few gentlemen of intelligence and earnestness met in a small dusty room in King Street. The speeches were short, but there was the right ring in what was said; it meant work; it meant success."
Little is known about the fundraising process other than it began with a city wide distribution of flyers. By 1876 they had managed to raise £2000 and the Board decided that this was sufficient for work to begin.
...
Wikipedia