The end of an era for Seafield Hospital

May 7 2008 By Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post

THE blaze at the old Seafield Hospital marks the final chapter in the building’s extraordinary history.

The Seafield story began in 1888 when Sir William Arrol – the architect behind the Tay Bridge, Forth Rail Bridge, and Tower Bridge — purchased 50 acres of land and built the beautiful mansion that would later be known as Seafield Hospital.

In the latter years of the First World War, the house was handed over to the British Red Cross by Lady Arrol and was used as an auxiliary hospital for wounded soldiers.

After being acquired by Ayrshire joint committee, Seafield House emerged in 1921 as a maternity hospital with 14 beds and children’s hospital with 34 beds.

In October 1947, the hospital was made a nurse training school – the only others in Scotland were in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Seafield was always ahead of its time and the facilities were further improved in May 1952 when a state-of-the-art extension was opened.

The extension boasted a casualty reception area, X-ray department, two operating theatres, outpatient department and new single cubicles – all at a cost of £25,000.

In May 1959, Princess Margaret paid a visit to Seafield to open the new sunshine veranda for long-stay orthopedic patients.

The local community pulled together to pay for the veranda when a plea to the local health board for cash was rejected.

In 1978, the health board recommended that Seafield should be closed as part of a major restructuring plan.

But the people of Ayrshire united to fight against the closure. After a massive campaign and intervention from the then Secretary of State for Scotland, George Younger, Seafield was saved.

The hospital went on to provide supreme paediatric care for another two decades before the doors finally closed in October 1991 as the new Ayr Hospital opened.

For the next 10 years, Seafield house was used as the health board headquarters before being sold to Miller Homes in 2005.

It lay boarded up and lifeless for several years before fire gutted the beautiful building last Tuesday night.

However, NHS Ayrshire and Arran and South Ayrshire Council were in early discussions to bring the building back into use by having some staff based at the site.

Doctor John McClure was the face of Seafield children’s hospital for a generation.

The retired consultant paediatrician, famous for his colourful bow ties, worked there for 20 years.

And he is devastated by the fire which ripped through the building last week.

He said: “I was in Arran on Tuesday night and I was shocked when I came home and saw it. The building holds a lot of happy memories for me and for many parents and staff all over Ayrshire.

“It’s been very sad to see it deteriorate over the years. Seafield is a big part of Ayrshire’s history, it was the home of William Arrol and it’s a real pity that lovely big building has come to an end like this.”

Dr McClure started at Seafield as a junior doctor in October 1970 and returned as a consultant in 1975. He remained there until services were transferred to Seafield Wing at the new Ayr Hospital in 1991.

Over the years Dr McClure treated thousands of youngsters, many of whom actually looked forward to seeing him and discovering what pattern would be on his bow tie that day.

Dr McClure lives just a few hundred yards from Seafield House and was able to pop along to the hospital with his dogs in the evenings to check on patients. But he admits: “I don’t know what infection control would say about that now.”