The Butterfield Hospital

The Bourne Nursing Association was established in the late 19th century through the encouragement of Alderman William Wherry (1841-1915). He proposed that such an organisation should be formed with voluntary subscriptions and public grants as a permanent memorial to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 but the suggestion got a mixed reception and there was some opposition.

Nevertheless, Alderman Wherry pressed on with his idea which was eventually given unanimous approval at a meeting in the Town Hall on Thursday 29th April 1897 called to consider the jubilee celebrations. The change of climate for his suggestion came after he had mentioned it to the Countess of Ancaster and not only did she approve, but also promised generous assistance once the scheme got underway. It was calculated that the association would cover Bourne and 20 of the surrounding villages and would entail an annual expenditure of £110 for the town and £130 for the rural area. The meeting decided to send a letter to Lady Ancaster informing her of the decision and asking her to become patroness of the organisation to be known as the Bourne Diamond Jubilee Nursing Association. 

The association was formed two years later in 1899 and Alderman Wherry became its president. Within ten years, nurses were making almost 2,000 visits a year to treat patients in their own homes, in the town as well as Dyke and Cawthorpe villages, and it was at this time in 1909, that the association was offered a property for use as a cottage hospital, a large detached house of red brick and blue slate on the corner of North Road and Meadowgate. The house, called Brooklands, had been the home of Mr Joseph Butterfield who had moved from Yorkshire some years before and when he died, it was bequeathed in his will to the town on the condition that it should be devoted to the relief of suffering. Miss Eliza Butterfield, one of his two daughters, was appointed a trustee to ensure that his wishes were carried out.

Alderman Wherry, one of the overseers of the parish of Bourne at that time, was also a trustee of Mr Butterfield's will and under his guidance, it was decided that the association should have the use of the house as a cottage hospital and as much of the furniture as they desired. The trustees also offered £50 towards buying equipment and a further £50 a year for three years and at the end of that time, the association would take over responsibility for its running. The trustees would then make a free gift of the premises to the Committee of the Nursing Association and invest a capital sum of £1,000 to provide income that would be devoted to the upkeep of the hospital. The trustees also stipulated that they would serve on the committee whose members would also include all of the general practitioners resident in the town at that time.

Because of the complicated legal procedures, the actual deed handing over the building was not presented to the Nursing Association until its annual meeting on Tuesday 3rd June 1913. The document provided for the transfer of the property in trust, to be used for the same purpose as at present, namely the Butterfield Hospital, together with an endowment of over £1,000 capital, with a proviso that that annual interest be allocated to the upkeep of the hospital. The first trustees appointed were Alderman W R Wherry, Mr T F Alletson (Louth) and Mr A E K Wherry, all of whom had been trustees of Mr Butterfield's will, together with Mr T M Baxter (treasurer), Mr Arthur Saul and Mr C H M Baxter.

The official opening of the hospital took place on 28th June 1910 and was performed by the Countess of Ancaster who lived at nearby Grimsthorpe Castle and a report on the event in the Stamford Mercury said: "The home is an ideal one for its purpose and is now being used. It is pleasantly situated and is in every way convenient. The front room on the left of the entrance is the patients' room with two beds and that on the opposite side is the nurses' apartments. One of the front rooms upstairs also contains a bed for a patient and an operating table, the other rooms being for the nurses. The house stands in a considerable area of garden ground which could be utilised by extending the building for additional wards."

The first patient was already being treated at the time of the official opening. He was William Thornton, aged five, who had fallen from a bridge in Eastgate breaking his thigh which was set on the kitchen table before he was admitted to the ward to recover which he did sufficiently to present a bouquet to the countess. William incidentally, lived to be 63 and died in July 1969. 

The house and grounds had been decorated for the opening and a temporary platform erected over the steps at the front entrance and it was from here that Alderman Wherry told the gathering of the committee's hopes for the new facility. "It is only the beginning of a much larger work", he said. "There is room behind the present building for wards with another 150 more bed spaces if necessary."

The cottage hospital soon became a valued medical amenity for the town and district. In 1914, a total of 71 patients were admitted while staff nurses paid 2,068 visits to various cases of sickness in the district. All householders and their dependents in Bourne were admitted to the hospital free of charge provided their gross income did not exceed 25 shillings a week while people living outside the town were given a similar facility on payment of one guinea a year. Regular fund raising also continued to boost hospital finances with an annual subscription from the Earl of Ancaster and other donations from all sections of the community, some as small as one penny. 

The hospital was greatly enlarged in 1920 as a memorial to those who fell in the Great War. The total cost of the extensions was £2,250 but the Red Cross contributed £1,000 of this and a further £700 was raised by a Peace Memorial Fund in the town and district while there were also a number of small legacies. The new wing was officially opened on Wednesday 11th May 1921 by Lady Florence Willoughby who was accompanied by her husband, Colonel H D Willoughby, the Member of Parliament for the constituency. It extended eastwards from the main building and the side door was merged into a main entrance where a stone cut in gilt letters was placed above it saying:

The improvements included the addition of two new wards, one with four beds for women and named the Ingle Ward in recognition of a £1,000 legacy given by the trustees of the late Mr Frederick Ingle of Colsterworth. A similar room upstairs was converted for use as a men's ward. Each of the wards had a small adjoining room for nurses in attendance and each had lavatory and bath accommodation while a large room downstairs was converted for use by private patients. The new wing also provided a flat for the matron and sufficient staff accommodation whereas before, some of the nurses had lived outside in a hostel.

The newly-extended hospital, pictured circa 1921

The building contractor was Mr J H Roberts of Bourne and the plans and specifications were drawn up by Messrs Traylen and Lenton of Stamford, architects to the parish church, who also supervised the work and their fees and expenses amounted to £158. Mr A E Wherry OBE, who presided at the opening ceremony, told the gathering: "I am happy to inform you that we are opening the new hospital free of debt but that does not mean we are not requiring more money for the opening of an operating theatre has been postponed until such time as the money required for it is in hand."

Colonel Willoughby used his speech to remember the part played by the ordinary man during the recent conflict. "The Peace Memorial is most fitting to the memory of those whose lives have been sacrificed", he said. "Our county regiment maintained through the war its previous proud record for valour. I have not had the honour of serving with that regiment but I am in a position to speak in the highest terms of its achievements. In the war however, there were other forces besides the soldiers who must be remembered. The bravery of the men in the navy and the courage of our airmen were equal forces in the victory secured. We must also remember our merchant seamen and while the spirit shown by these services prevails, our nation will maintain its position. This is not to forget the work of those at home who ministered to the comforts of others and it is hoped that all of the blessings that have been invoked in this dedication service will be realised for the benefit of our less fortunate neighbours in Bourne and the surrounding district."

Lady Willoughby then declared the new building open with an expression of her appreciation at being asked to perform the ceremony and to associate herself with the brave men to whose memory the hospital had been extended as a Peace Memorial. The visitors then toured the new wards and tea was provided, the refreshments being contributed by various ladies in the town.

By 1923, the general committee reported that the hospital was "holding its own". Figures presented to their meeting on Tuesday 23rd January showed that during the the final quarter of 1922 there had been 14 in-patients and 11 outpatients and 13 operations had been performed. For the ten months ending 31st December 1922, 84 patients had been treated in the hospital and 31 in their own homes. The committee expressed the hope that the ever-growing needs of the facility would be met by the continuance of  income that was currently £585 19s. 9d. a year, including subscriptions of £212. 1s. 8d., donations of £93 13s. 10d., interest on investments £111 17s. 2d. and payments from patients amounting to £115 3s. 10d. Maintenance during that period had cost £450 while the total expenditure was £500 and therefore the Butterfield was keeping its head above water.

Many members of the house committee which ran the hospital occupied influential positions in the town and they were not reluctant to use their powers for the good of patients. At their quarterly meeting on Tuesday 3rd July 1923, under the chairmanship of Mr A E K Wherry, the committee considered complaints about the noise of motor cycles passing on the road outside which they considered to be prejudicial to the condition of patients in a serious state. They therefore wrote to the secretary of the Bourne Motor Cycle Club asking members to drive quietly past the hospital and also to the Automobile Association requesting that notice boards be erected on the highway bearing a similar wording.

By 1965, the hospital was maintaining 12 beds in three wards, one male, one female and one private. There were five full time nursing staff and four part time with a further four employed on night time duty and there were also four kitchen staff and a porter. Minor surgery was performed in the operating theatre and the hospital also had a busy casualty department while weekly clinics were held by visiting consultants.

In that year, on February 13th, a patient, Miss Sarah Saunders, celebrated her 100th birthday and received a telegram of congratulations from the Queen together with a visit from council leaders who presented her with a bouquet. She was also sprightly enough to receive a television reporter and camera crew and the film of her interview appeared that evening on Anglia TV.

The Butterfield continued to provide a valuable medical service for the town and public opinion helped it survive several attempts at closure, particularly in October 1982 when nurses and members of the public turned out in force to protest and 6,000 people signed a petition demanding that it remain open. But financial restraints and a streamlining of National Health Service resources eventually sounded the death knell and it closed in 1983. Officers from Age Concern in Bourne, supported by local councillors, persuaded Lincolnshire County Council to buy the building from the Peterborough Area Health Authority for £26,000 for use as a day centre by old people and this has been its role since 1985.

It is known as the Butterfield Day Care Centre, now a registered charity which is self-financing but assisted with grants from local authorities. In 1989, the facility was catering for 300 people with day care provision for a further 120, the average age of members being 77, and its operation was seen as a means of keeping the elderly out of sheltered accommodation by allowing them to stay in their own homes and remain active in the community. By 2001, it was open only on four days a week, catering for around 30 people a day with an average age of 84. By 2002 there were 90 elderly visitors a week and the centre was offering meals and social activities together with bathing facilities, hairdressing, chiropody, a library, a domestic service offering help in 80 homes and gardens and, most importantly, a place where the elderly can meet and talk, knowing that they will be picked up and returned home in the centre's minibus.

This is a large building in a commanding location and although other local organisations meet here, such as the Family History Society, many consider that it remains under-used. 

The Butterfield Hospital, pictured before the bushes and hedges at the front
were removed in the summer of 2002.

See also Alderman William Wherry

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