Collection SJH - NURSING: St John's Hospital (Lewisham) student nurse records

The Sisterhood of St John the Divine - an Anglican Sisterhood developed in close association with King's College Hospital, London. It was modelled on the Lutheran Order of Deaconesses of Kaiserwerth, Prussia. In 1883, the Sisterhood obtained a lease of some small houses in Cressingham Rd, Lewisham - the first St John's Hospital, Lewisham. A year later, this building was turned into a district home, and a new hospital was opened at Montague Place, Poplar (finally closed in 1889). Shortly afterwards, this was replaced by the former All Saints' Boys' Orphanage on Morden Hill, Blackheath. Originally named St Stephen's Hospital for Women and Children, this was opened in 1886 as St John's Hospital for Men and Women, and was the location of the Sisters' new training school for nurses. In 1897 an anonymous donation led to the building of a new ward block, opened in 1900, and the old house became the nurses home. St John's Hospital received a number of grants from 1907 onwards from the King Edward's and Hospital Sunday Funds. In 1911, the Borough of Lewisham contributed £600 for the establishment of a small X-ray Department and a Bacteriological Laboratory. In 1913, the hospital had 46 beds. It was incorporated in 1921 under the Companies Act, and the Sisterhood retained the right to nominate two-sixths of the Governors, and the freehold was also purchased around the same time. In 1923, the hospital expanded to 102 beds. Due to a lack of recruits from the Sisterhood, it formed its own nurse training school. On 21 Dec 1923, the Community of St John the Divine resigned all their rights and duties in the hospital, however the traditional uniform and badge continued to be worn until the introduction of the NHS in 1948. Student nurses appear to have served in the wards of Hither Green Hospital as well as St John's during their training. St John's Hospital closed in 1979.