The Grand Opening, and state of funding, July 1904

OPENING OF NEW BUILDINGS. Princess Louise (Duchess Argyll) yesterday afternoon opened the new building of the North- Eastern Hospital for Children, Hackney-road, Bethnal-green. Guard of Honour was mounted outside the Hospital by the London Scottish Rides, under Captain J. H. Lindsay. Her Royal Highness, who was accompanied by the Duke of Argyll, was received at the entrance Lord Amherst of Hackney (President of the Hospital), Colonel Lord William Cecil (Chairman), Lady William Cecil (President the Ladies’ Committee), the Bishop of Islington, the Countess of Clanwilliam, Lady Frederick FitzRoy, Mrs. Bischoffsheim, the Rev. W. G. Morcom (Honorary Chaplain), Mr. C. G. J. Port (Chairman of the Building Committee), Mr. Walter Johnson (Vice Chairman of the Opening Ceremony Committee), the Mayors of Bethnal-green, Hackney, and Shoreditch, and others.

A bouquet was presented to the Princess by Miss Margaret Cecil. National Anthem was sung by a choir of nurses, accompanied by the string band of the Scots Guards, who had played selections prior to the opening ceremony.

Following prayers the Bishop of Islington, a passage of Scripture read by the Hon. Chaplain, and the hymn “Thou to whom the sick and dying,” Lord William Cecil read an address to the Princess. This document, after extending a cordial welcome to her Royal Highness, who did so much to foster and encourage the Institution in its early years, stated that the new building stood partly on the site of the two houses which she opened, on June 28, 1872, the first permanent home of the Hospital.

The new premises contained four wards of eleven beds each, one of six, and one of seven beds, making 57 in all, and thus increasing the number of available beds to 114. A new operating theatre and a casualty room, besides much other urgently-needed accommodation, had also been provided.

The total expenditure incurred so far regard the scheme of enlargement amounted to nearly £45,000. A sum of £36,000 having been provided donations, legacies, etc., a debt of £9,000 remained.

The ordinary expenditure, which was formerly about £6500, now amounted to about £ll,000 a year. The Committee hoped it might soon be possible to pay off the debt, and to commence the collection of funds for the erection of nurses’ home and other buildings required complete the scheme of enlargement.

Princess Louise haring declared the new building open, the Bishop of Islington pronounced the Benediction, and purses were then presented to her Royal Highness, aid of the funds of the Hospital. Mr. W. Johnson, in a statement the financial position of the Institution, mentioned that since the figures already referred to were put together, the Goldsmiths’ Company had contributed £500, thus reducing the balance on capital account to £8500. In addition, the Skinners’ Company had promised £l00 a year for five years.

The Duke of Argyll, in acknowledging a vote of thanks to tha Princess, which was proposed by Lord Amherst of Hackney, and seconded the Bishop of Islington, expressed the hope that subscriptions would come in in increasing amounts. The claims of the Hospital the public were enormous. He suggested that they might save money by starting a laundry, and he hoped that when the Princess and he next visited, the Hospital that would have been added, well as the nurses’ home.

The Princess afterwards visited the wards, including the "Little Folks ward", which has been founded entirely by the exertions of the readers of "Little Folks" magazine, and no less a sum than £2000 had already been collected. The ward contains eleven beds, and is most beautifully fitted with ail the latest improvements. The readers of the magazine are now devoting their energies to raising a further £l000, when the whole ward will be supported and paid for by their contributions. Miss Sidney Woolf, the writer of the articles in the magazine, and the Editor were presented to her Royal highness, who expressed herself as much gratified by the great success so far achieved.