Recent information on the new hospital, replacing the City Hospital at Dudley Road, and the Sandwell General Hospital at West Bromwich, is that work is starting, and it is due to be opened in 2019. The published name is "Metropolitan Hospital", which I think makes battleship grey appear more colourful than a rainbow.
This has been generally described as being on the site of the old GKN factory., just on the Sandwell side of the border of Sandwell and Birmingham.
In fact, the location is far more interesting. In 1851, the
Great Exhibition was opened in Hyde Park. When the exhibition closed, the structure was moved to Sydenham, and renamed the
Crystal Palace. The designer, William Paxton, modeled it on the conservatories he had designed for Chatsworth, in Derbyshire.
The glass came from the Chance Glass factory on the Smethwick - Oldbury border.
The steel structure was made by
Fox, Henderson & Company, London Works, Smethwick. Charles Fox, knighted for his work on the Great Exhibition, began this company to construct track and rolling stock for the growing railway industry, and made items for Stevenson. The various structures included bridges, and some of the most important railway station roofs, including
Paddington,
Waterloo, and the
Birmingham New Street station which was demolished in the 20th century to make way for modernisation.
At its peak, about the time they ceased trading in 1856, Fox, Henderson & Co. employed about 2,000 workers in Smethwick. The liquidation of the company was due to unpaid bills for railway work in Europe, and an enquiry completely exhonourated the company. But the impact on Smethwick was devastating.
The London Works was the original factory on the site of the coming new hospital.
So the idea follows -
here is a great opportunity for us to commemorate the great scientific and industrial heritage of Birmingham and Smethwick. Name the hospital, and parts of the hospital site, after the many great scientists and industrialists of our area. After all, "
Fox-Henderson" would make a far more interesting name for the hospital. We have the well-known
Murdoch,
Boulton and
Watt as possible names, as well as
Galton. Or
Chance, after the glass manufacturers. Another Smethwick engineer,
Richard Tangye, made some very elegant as well as practical steam engines and other machines. One of Charles Fox's employees was
William Siemens who was one of the greatest mechanical and electrical engineers of the 19th century. He lived in Summerfield Cottage while he worked at the London Works.
Ruskin lived in West Smethwick.
I am floating the idea, which resulted from conversation with John Hopkins during January. John is involved with both the Friends of Deer's Leap Wood, and the Smethwick Pumping Station. His interest in the Fox, Henderson connection to Crystal Palace sparked this line of thought.
So how about it? A campaign from ordinary people, saying that we should use this opportunity to publicise the contribution of our side of Birmingham, and neighbouring Smethwick, to the technological advancement of the world.
Robert Higginson
