The history of the Royal Berkshire Hospital – join us and mark 185 years

This year, the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust marks 185 years since the Royal Berkshire Hospital first opened its doors. And they are inviting those interested, to join them for a morning of talks from experts on a whole range of topics spanning nearly 200 years – from the development of the prosthetic shoulder, to the Victorian Sick Room.

Back in 1839, the world was a very different place. It would be another seventy-nine years until women won the right to vote. It was the year the very first camera was invented. And in terms of healthcare – Nye Bevan, the Health Secretary instrumental in its creation, wouldn’t be born for another forty-eight years.

Built on land donated by former Prime Minister, Lord Sidmouth, the Royal Berkshire Hospital had just opened its now famous wooden doors. With fifty beds and staffed by a team of just ten in total: four day nurses, a night nurse, house surgeon, apothecary, matron, secretary and chaplain, it took two days for the first patient to arrive.

That first patient was a 15-year old railway worker who suffered a severe compound fracture to the upper arm, while helping to build the Great Western Railway. He had to have his arm amputated at the shoulder, which was a risky procedure at the time, and stayed at the hospital for two months recovering. In the hospital’s first two months it saw 59 patients. And in the first year, it had an annual budget of £433. Of that, £91 was spent on beer and £27 on leeches.

In 2024, the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is a team of nearly 7,000 across seven sites, serving a community of a million people. They treat someone in the Emergency Department every three minutes. A baby is born in the Maternity Department every two hours – including Catherine, Princess of Wales, back in 1982. And an outpatient procedure takes place every 180 seconds. 

Richard Havelock, Chair of the Hospital’s Museum said, “The Royal Berkshire Hospital has an amazing clinical and cultural history, from the remarkable, to the everyday. It’s awe inspiring to think of those original doctors and nurses, and what they accomplished before the things we take for granted like antibiotics and anaesthetic. Since opening all those years ago, it’s no exaggeration to say millions of people have had their lives touched by the care provided here.

“And it’s a privilege to share some of those stories, and achievements through the Medical Museum, and at the History Symposium we hold each year. Knowing we are marking its 185th anniversary will make this one just a little bit more special.”

The symposium is on Saturday 2 November from 9.30am to 1.15pm with more information below on how to book your place.