Site: 

Smallwood Hospital,

Church Green West, Town Centre

Grid Reference:    

SP 0411 6779

Description:

Hospital. Dated 1894. By William Henman. Brick with stone dressings. Partly- hipped, plain clay tiled roof and ridge stacks with moulded dressings. 2 storeys. Multi-gabled roofline. Main part has a symmetrical facade of 5 bays; outer and central bays are gabled and break forward; additions at each end in a complementary style. Moulded stone string at first-floor level and stone-faced central gable. Varied fenestration of mainly three lights with quoined surrounds. In gable above central first-floor window is relief decoration with �SMALLWOOD HOSPITAL� inscribed at the base. Finial and weathervane at gable apex. Central Jacobethan stone porch with pediment inscribed with date of completion. Balustrade and obelisk finials. Round-arched doorway within with replacement doors and fanlight. .

Significance:

This building, with its long proportions, gabled roofline and Jacobethan detail, makes a distinctive contribution to this part of the church green, forming a good group with the adjacent Smallwood Hospital (qv) and contributing much to the character and appearance of the Church Green Conservation Area. This building is also of local significance for its associations with the Smallwood brothers, needle manufacturers and important local benefactors, who also founded the Smallwood Almhouses (qv).

History:

Smallwood hospital was founded as the result of the generosity and work of two brothers, Edwin and William Smallwood who hailed from a wealthy local needle-making family. Their own fortunes were further enhanced by a number of legacies. When Edwin died he left a sum of £70,000 and instructed that £5,000 be used for the founding of Redditch hospital. His brother William also donated towards the building of the cottage hospital. He became the prime mover of the scheme, and it was he who selected the site in Church Green. Existing buildings including cottages were pulled down in order to prepare the site. The hospital took less than two years to build and was opened in May 1895, the total cost being in the region of £20,000. There were three main wards and two side wards and a total of thirty beds were included. In the 1920's and 1930's the hospital was further extended. The illustration overleaf shows the two founders Edwin and William Smallwood. In 1995 the hospital celebrates its centenary.