Barnsley Hospital
From Infirmary to Hospital: Healthcare in Barnsley
Around 1736, a workhouse was constructed on St Mary’s Place to serve the parish poor of Barnsley, replacing Brookhouse’s almshouses on the same site.
Following the formation of the Barnsley Poor Law Union in 1850, the need for a larger facility led to the building of a new workhouse on Gawber Road. This new complex included an infirmary wing at the rear of the main building. The former workhouse on St Mary’s Place was subsequently used as a police station until the 1960s.
Due to the inadequacy of the original infirmary wing, a new infirmary block was constructed and completed in 1883.
In 1930, healthcare provision underwent a significant transformation as the Local Government Act of 1929 came into effect, transferring responsibility for general hospital services to local authorities and ending the Poor Law unions.
As a result, both the workhouse and infirmary were transferred to Barnsley County Borough Council. These buildings took on new roles: former workhouse became The Lime, providing care for older people, while the former infirmary was transformed into Barnsley Municipal Hospital. In 1936, the Hospital name changed to St Helen Hospital – marking its transition into a modern healthcare institution.
In 1948, efforts by the Hospital Management Committee focused on coordinating public and voluntary sectors rather than expansion, as post war funding was limited. While Beckett Hospital was overcrowded, St Helen Hospital remained underused due to its association with the old Poor Law days. Over time, this was overcome, and Paediatric and Gynaecology services were transferred to St Helen, with nurse training shared across both hospitals.
In 1948, the priority of the Hospital Management Committee was to co-ordinate the public and voluntary sectors. There was little time for consideration of the development of the service, apart from the fact that the central Government had not the finance for capital development, so soon after the Second World War. The Hospital Management Committee had to encourage the voluntary sector (Beckett Hospital) – which was used above its capacity with extra beds down the centre of the wards being a regular feature – to use the old Poor Law Hospital (St Helen), which was, conversely, under-occupied.
The consultants of the 1948 era evidently considered that there was a stigma attached to St Helen from the old Poor Law days, and it was around four years before any real progress was made in overcoming these prejudices.
Eventually, after numerous meetings, discussions with individual consultants, and much persuasion, the Paediatric and Gynaecology units were transferred to St Helen Hospital. This resulted in the State Registered Nurse Training school based at Beckett Hospital, having to use both hospitals for nurse training purposes.
Extract taken from book ‘The Health Service in Barnsley and District’ edited by Pat Gwynette (1998), pages 51-53.
Below extract further describes the development of Barnsley’s health service from the 1960s and the opening of the new maternity unit at St Helen in 1970.
‘The central Government allocated finance for the General Hospital in 1961, and this was very much due to the tenacity of Roy (now Lord) Mason. However, it still required sone 16 years of planning and construction before the final ward was opened. Once accomplished though, it allowed the complete re-organisation of Barnsley’s Health service. During the above planning period, infectious disease beds had been closed at Kendray Hospital and were converted for use of Paediatric, Medical and Orthopaedic patients, and the beds vacated at St Helen on the opening of the new Maternity Unit in 1970, had been brought into use for surgical patients for the seven years prior to the opening of Phase II of the General Hospital’
Extract taken from book ‘The Health Service in Barnsley and District’ edited by Pat Gwynette (1998), pages 53-54.
In 2005, the Hospital acquired Foundation Trust status and changed its name to Barnsley Hospital.
Read on to learn more about the timeline of Barnsley Hospital and explore the key developments that have shaped it into the hospital we know today.
Union Workhouse, Gawber Road
The Poor Laws established during the reign of Elizabeth I were based on the individual parish as the unit of administration. A workhouse was built for Barnsley’s parish poor in about 1736, situated in the town centre on St Mary’s Place - the site is now at the back of the Barnsley College building.
By the early 19th century, changes in population structure, particularly during the Industrial Revolution, meant that the parish-based system was breaking down.
The Poor Law Amendment Act was passed in 1834, by which parishes were grouped together into Poor Law Unions, each Union to be run by a Board of Guardians whose members were elected by the ratepayers.
In many places this was adopted immediately, but Barnsley resisted the change, retaining poor relief on a parish basis, until the Barnsley Poor Law Union (Barnsley and 16 surrounding parishes) was eventually formed in January 1850.
On taking this step, the Barnsley Poor Law Guardians became subject to the standards required by a central government department called the Local Government Board, including the requirement for a new workhouse for the whole Union.
If you are interested to read more about the Barnsley Board of Guardians minute book, you can find out more by clicking here xxx (link to Board of Guardians minute book word doc.)
What was a workhouse?
Workhouse was built to house people with no means of support, mostly the elderly, the sick, the unemployed and children. Living conditions were difficult - family members got separated, coarse workhouse uniforms had to be worn, and able-bodied individuals were expected to undertake gruelling work such as oakum picking. Each workhouse has an infirmary attached to it which functioned as a public hospital. In 1929, the workhouse system was finally abolished. [ST addition]
Summary of key dates and developments of Barnsley’s healthcare provision
Below is a summary of key dates from the first formation of Barnsley Poor Law Union in January 1850 to the establishment of Barnsley Hospital in 2005.
January 1850 Formation of Barnsley Poor Law Union.
March 1850 Decision to build a Workhouse.
June 1850 Contract for purchase of site at Gawber.
February 1851 Selection of plans by Henry F. Lockwood and William Mawson of Bradford.
June-July 1851 Tradesmen’s tenders for construction work.
June 1852 Appointment of Workhouse Master, Mistress, Schoolmaster, Schoolmistress and Porter.
September 1852 Appointment of Medical Officer and Nurse.
1 October 1852 Workhouse opened for the reception of inmates; including an Infirmary wing at the rear of the main block.
1868 Infirmary wing inadequate; new Infirmary block recommended.
1869 New Infirmary block postponed on grounds of cost.
1870 Approval for new Fever and Infectious Wards to be built behind existing Infirmary wing.
The new Fever Wards were constructed at the back (northwest end) of the main Workhouse blocks, beyond what was marked as ‘Present Infirmary Ward’ (reference Borough of Barnsley Building Control Plans, 1870)
1877 Additions to School Rooms and New Vagrants’ Ward.
The Vagrants’ Ward was constructed at the easternmost corner of the site, adjacent to Gawber Road [‘Huddersfield Old Road’] (reference Borough of Barnsley Building Control Plans, 1877)
1879-1880 Infirmary provision inadequate; approval for new Infirmary block to the west of the Workhouse.
1880 Additions to Lodge – new Board Room and Committee Rooms (reference Borough of Barnsley Building Control Plans, 1880).
1883 Completion of new Infirmary block.
1895 Workhouse drainage (reference Borough of Barnsley Building Control Plans, 1895).
1930 Abolition of Poor Law Unions and Boards of Guardians; former Workhouse and Infirmary transferred to Barnsley County Borough Council; former Workhouse becomes The Limes geriatric facility and former Infirmary becomes Barnsley Municipal Hospital.
1936 Name changed from Barnsley Municipal Hospital to St Helen Hospital.
1948 Foundation of the National Health Service; hospital transferred to the Barnsley Hospital Management Committee of the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board.
1966-1977 Redevelopment of site and construction in two phases of the new Barnsley District General Hospital.
2005 Hospital acquired Foundation Trust status and changed its name to Barnsley Hospital.