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Wolverhampton hospital historian looks to future of museum

He started work as a nurse at the Wolverhampton Royal Hospital in 1954 and has since become an oracle of information on the site.

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Now 80-year-old Penn resident Roy Stallard is preparing to unveil his vast knowledge of Wolverhampton hospitals where his beloved former workplace once stood.

As work is set to finally begin on a long-awaited new £60 million Tesco supermarket on the historic site in All Saints, Mr Stallard is gathering memorabilia and information to build a new medical museum in its former chapel.

After receiving confirmation from the supermarket giant that he can bring his vision to life, Mr Stallard said: "It has always been a dream of mine to establish a museum for the hospital and others that have given so much to the community over the years.

"I had been in contact with Tesco for a long time to try and get the ball rolling, so it's nice that things are ready to go now.

"During that time I have been getting together all the best artefacts and unique pieces of information that allow me to tell others the rich history of the hospital and four others from the city.

"I want to bring people up to date with their local history and the work that went into developing and maintaining these hospitals.

"I also think it will be a great asset to the city and give younger people a better idea of how things used to be."

During a recent presentation and talk at The Old School, on Dudley Road, Mr Stallard gave a glimpse as to what his plans entail.

He put together five stands exhibiting the history of the Royal Hospital, The Eye Infirmary on Compton Road, Parkfields Isolation Hospital, the Women's Hospital on Cleveland Road and the Queen Victoria Nursing Home on Bath Road, Chapel Ash.

It is the Royal Hospital which is closest to Mr Stallard's heart and the main focus of his efforts.

The museum, to be built in the hospitals former chapel, will include three restored stained glass windows, valued at around £60,000 each around a decade ago, that belonged to the hospital for a number of decades.

Mr Stallard said: "The chapel isn't particularly large, but we can't wait to get in and start setting things up.

"The stained glass windows will give the place a nice touch and add a real historical element that should bring the museum to life.

"I believe this museum will be of great interest to the local public and for people across the Midlands, maybe even nationally."

The Royal Hospital opened its doors on January 1, 1849, with the mission statement to help 'patients who are unable to pay for medicine and advice and are destitute of funds to make provision for them'.

Four Victorian businessmen from the city raised a total of £18,000 to buy land and build the hospital, at the time known as the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire hospital.

Previously, the poor and ill were reliant on a six bedded dispensary, established on Queen Street in 1821.

Despite being completely reliant on charity for its running costs, the Royal Hospital grew and grew.

By the year 1912, it had developed a 53-bed nurses home, a new wing of beds dedicated to King Edward V11, gained its own motorised ambulance from Wolverhampton Police Force and was fitted with an electric lift.

During the First World War, much of its facilities were used for war-wounded soldiers from France.

In the 10 years immediately after the war, the hospital added many new departments and wards to its premises including operating theatres and VD clinics.

It was also granted Royal Charter status following a visit from the Prince of Wales.

Mr Stallard said: "As soon as I started working at the hospital I took a strong interest in its history.

"It's impossible to imagine what the city would have been like without the help of everyone who worked there and helped make it such a great place."

Mr Stallard left the Royal Army Medical Core's military hospital in Germany after working as a nurse for two years before he landed the job that would define the rest of his working life.

He arrived at the Royal in 1954 to train as a nurse for three years.

After completing his training, he spent nine months as a staff nurse, but progress as a male nurse was hard to come by without an extra qualification.

He moved to the Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary in 1959 to study for his Ophthalmic Nursing Diploma.

He would stay at the infirmary until 1964, before being invited back to the Royal Hospital in a teaching role.

This job is the one Mr Stallard rates as his favourite.

He said: "I felt suited to training the next generation of nurses.

"As soon as I took on my first role I absolutely absorbed the Royal Hospital.

"Pretty much everyone I worked with enjoyed their time there.

"There was a great attitude towards staff there, you were looked after and valued as important.

"The work you did wouldn't go unnoticed and the work we were doing was helping the hospital get the reputation it deserved."

Following the teaching role, Mr Stallard was promoted to the president of the Royal Hospital League of Nurses.

His journey from a young trainee to an experienced veteran at the hospital was complete and he had a say in the running of the place that had treated him so kindly over the years.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s a new theatre suite and ITU facility, plus a coronary care unit were established.

However talk had begun to move the hospital's facilities to the site of New Cross Hospital.

The decision was later finalised and the Royal Hospital closed on June 24 1997 after more than 148 years of care and dedication the citizens of Wolverhampton.

Even though a Tesco will soon take over the hospital site, Mr Stallard will ensure its memory lives on.

He said: "Tesco have been very supportive with allowing me to get this done.

"I have had a letter saying that they will help with the cost of heating, lighting and securing the museum.

"I will be overseeing progress at the museum and taking an active role in its day to day running."

Work will begin on the store in the new year, after a long period of uncertainty.

The location of the museum in relation to the new store has not been confirmed as of yet.

Tesco spokesperson Simon Petar said: "Mr Stallard is at the centre of the local community and is rightly very well respected.

"His passion for Wolverhampton and the former Royal Hospital cannot be rivalled and it's been a pleasure to work with him."

Tesco's decision to regenerate the former Royal Hospital followed a legal wrangle with rival Sainsbury's lasting more than 10 years and dubbed the city 'supermarket wars'.

Once built the 97,000 sq ft store - first mooted around a decade ago - will eventually create 500 jobs.

Alongside this new asset to the city will stand a powerful reminder of the immeasurable help given to citizens in years gone by.

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