Royal Papworth Hospital, Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire
Established as a tuberculosis settlement in 1918, the Royal Papworth Hospital grew to be a world-leading heart and lung hospital, and moved to new premises in 2019
Visited May 2019 Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire, UK Closed
A Tuberculosis sanatorium was established at Papworth by Dr Pendrill Varrier-Jones, the TB Officer for Cambridgeshire, following a donation of £5,000 from a wealthy philanthropist which enabled him to purchase the Papworth Hall Estate. Papworth Hall itself was used initially for the treatment of TB, receiving its first patients on 12 February 1918, along with 4 staff members.
The hospital expanded steadily with the addition of wooden open-air shelters, and in 1929 was renamed the Papworth Village Settlement. New hospital buildings were constructed around the hall from 1930, and after being absorbed into the National Health Service in 1948, the sanatorium was renamed Papworth Hospital.
Royal Papworth Hospital – Entrance sign and the 1932 Bernhard Baron Building
Surgery gradually took over as a treatment for TB and over time the hospital moved towards other types of heart and lung treatment such as transplants, the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis and sleep disorders. The world’s first successful heart transplant took place at Papworth in 1979.
In April 2019 all the services provided at the hospital were transferred to a new, purpose built facility at the nearby Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Bernhard Baron Building
Royal Papworth Hospital – Reception Main EntranceRoyal Papworth Hospital – The main reception deskRoyal Papworth Hospital – Inside the curved frontage
The accommodation in the Bernhard Baron Building was originally designed around a veranda arrangement providing easy access to open air for treatment of TB, as can be seen in the archive image below
Royal Papworth Hospital – Archive image of open air verandas (circa 1932)Royal Papworth Hospital – Now somewhat modernised, the large doors still open out onto the verandasRoyal Papworth Hospital – One of the wards in the Bernhard Baron BuildingRoyal Papworth Hospital – Ward reception deskRoyal Papworth Hospital – X-Ray room (the machine had been removed)Royal Papworth Hospital – The Bernhard Baron Building also contained the hospital archives
Christopher Parish Building
Radiology & Nuclear Medicine
Royal Papworth Hospital – Angiography RoomRoyal Papworth Hospital – Angiography ControlsRoyal Papworth Hospital – Another Angiogram X-RayRoyal Papworth Hospital – Angiogram X-RayRoyal Papworth Hospital – Another type of X-RayRoyal Papworth Hospital – The X-Ray department was quite extensiveRoyal Papworth Hospital – More X-Rays!Royal Papworth Hospital – Nuclear Medicine DepartmentRoyal Papworth Hospital – CT ScannerRoyal Papworth Hospital – SPECT Scanner
Operating Theatres
Royal Papworth Hospital – One of the five operating theatresRoyal Papworth Hospital – Operating theatre with lights onRoyal Papworth Hospital – Another operating theatreRoyal Papworth Hospital – Operating lights in a theatre
Wards and other areas
Royal Papworth Hospital – One of the wards with a lot of equipment remainingRoyal Papworth Hospital – Some of the wards had been fully emptied outRoyal Papworth Hospital – Ward reception deskRoyal Papworth Hospital – One of the ward roomsRoyal Papworth Hospital – Ward room with bedRoyal Papworth Hospital – Bed in another roomRoyal Papworth Hospital – Ward with curtain dividers between bedsRoyal Papworth Hospital – One more of the ward bedsRoyal Papworth Hospital – One of the many corridorsRoyal Papworth Hospital – Corridor junctionsRoyal Papworth Hospital – Rooms in the Lakeside Crescent looked very modernRoyal Papworth Hospital – Lakeside Crescent roomRoyal Papworth Hospital – Private Care waiting areaRoyal Papworth Hospital – Lecture Theatre
Mortuary and Pathology
Royal Papworth Hospital – Metal slab in the mortuaryRoyal Papworth Hospital – Morgue slab and body fridgesRoyal Papworth Hospital – Another view of the mortuary examination tableRoyal Papworth Hospital – Mortuary body storage roomRoyal Papworth Hospital – “Place deceased in this fridge feet first”Royal Papworth Hospital – The Chapel of RestRoyal Papworth Hospital – Tissue and body part dissection roomRoyal Papworth Hospital – One of the pathology labsRoyal Papworth Hospital – Another pathology labs
Papworth Hall
Papworth Hall was purchased following a donation of £5,000 from a wealthy philanthropist and was the first building to be used as a sanatorium at Papworth.
Papworth Hall – Archive photograph (circa 1918)Papworth Hall – Archive Image by Bob Crook (CC Licence)Papworth Hall – The grand entrance hall
Papworth Hall – Entrance Hall
Papworth Hall – Staircase and Skylight
Papworth Hall – One of the skylight lanterns on the first floor and light-well to the floor belowPapworth Hall – The rooms had been modernised for hospital use
I was lucky enough to be a student nurse here for 10 months of their last year they were open. I helped clean and move the equipment ready to be shipped to the new site. I have fond memories of walking patients around the lake for rehab too!
Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire, UK Closed 
Nicely done mate. Good to see it up on your page!
Thanks man!
Excellent work. One of the best set of photos I’ve seen in ages.
I was lucky enough to be a student nurse here for 10 months of their last year they were open. I helped clean and move the equipment ready to be shipped to the new site. I have fond memories of walking patients around the lake for rehab too!