On this Valentine's Day here is a bouquet for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Rhyl, which is held in affection because of its function and because it still looks good despite inevitable alterations.
Images in this post are from the very early days, probably first decade.
The Alex is on a site previously occupied by a house named 'Plastirion' which had been built as a seaside home for Dr. Stephen Warren and his family. Dr. Warren was a physician to Queen Victoria.
Click on any image to see a bigger version.
The Alex opened officially in 1902 as a children's hospital. There were no miracle drugs for kids who were afflicted by illness, but plenty of fresh sea air and TLC!
Whether the patients were local or from industrial cities far away, the main cause of their maladies - directly or indirectly - was poverty.
Initially there were 160 beds. As time rolled by the capacity expanded and the Alex became a General Hospital. Now it is classed as a 'community hospital' and comes under occasional threat of closure.
The Alex is such an important institution in Rhyl that closure should never be contemplated - not even for a moment! Its services are too valuable and its historical significance really quite considerable.
To see ALL posts relating to hospitals please click here:
http://rhyl-life.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/HOSPITALS
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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk
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