Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital
Have you seen the ceramic plaques in the ground floor corridor of the Dreadnought building? They are a clue to the building’s important history.
Many alumni will remember the Dreadnought building as the home of the Greenwich campus library. Today, it provides a student hub, including the Students’ Union. Fittingly, it is also one of the sites used by the Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
The Grade II listed building was constructed between 1764 and 1786 as an infirmary for the Greenwich Hospital, now the site for much of the Greenwich campus today.
Voluntary hospitals were so-called because they relied on philanthropy for funding and served those who could not afford to be cared for at home. Initially, they focussed on providing a refuge for the sick and injured. In line with medical advancements, they focused on providing a cure and later evolved into places of research and training.
Although hospitals such as the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital did receive royal patronage, they were financially vulnerable, mainly relying on donations. However, they also had a critical role in progressing medical knowledge and shaping the profession today.
The infirmary at Greenwich Hospital
Established in 1692, Greenwich Hospital was not a hospital by our modern definition. The site was home to Greenwich Palace, the birthplace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. By the late 17th Century, the palace had fallen into considerable disrepair, and Sir Christopher Wren designed a new building.
These buildings today form Old Royal Naval College but were originally Greenwich Hospital and served as a home for retired sailors of the Royal Navy, much like the Chelsea Hospital for soldiers, which operates to this day.
The Dreadnought building we know was an addition to the Greenwich Hospital and housed its infirmary (previously, patients were treated in the main buildings of the hospital). The building was completed in 1764 and was designed by the architect James 'Athenian' Stuart.
The building had two main wings and a large central courtyard (now covered). It housed 64 wards; each was small by modern standards, holding four beds, a fireplace and sash windows with ventilation slots. Medical and surgical patients were kept apart, and the matron and senior medical staff also lived in the Infirmary.
The building today combines Stuart's work and subsequent renovations; for example, following a fire in 1811, the building was extended to three floors. It also suffered bomb damage during the Second World War and has been adapted to accommodate changes in use since its inception.
The hospital closed in 1869, and the Infirmary was leased to the Seamen's Hospital Society the following year.
Seamen's Hospital Society
In an age before trains, planes and automobiles, we relied on our merchant navy for transporting goods both in, out and around the country. During the Napoleonic Wars, many were recruited into the Royal Navy, which expanded from 16,000 to more than 140,000 men.
Peacetime did not equate to prosperity for the working classes, including injured seamen. The cost of war was manifold and included higher taxation. The price of bread also soared due to a reduced supply of corn and protectionist policies by the ruling classes.
There was, however, some societal sense of duty to seafarers following the Napoleonic Wars, which was expressed through various philanthropic efforts, including the Lloyds Patriotic Fund and The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society.
Following a severe winter in 1818, the Committee for the Relief of Destitute Seamen (CRDS) was established by philanthropists, including the abolitionists William Wilberforce and Zachary Macaulay. CRDS was a predecessor to The Seamen's Hospital Society (now known as the Seafarer's Hospital), officially formed in 1821.
The society sought to improve the lives of seamen of all nationalities, races and religions by introducing preventative procedures to contain and mitigate diseases.
Image: William Parrott, CC by 4.0
HMS Dreadnought
Utilising a converted warship, the society established a floating hospital in Greenwich on HMS Grampus, leased to them by the Admiralty. The ship was equipped with rowing boats for transporting patients, staff, and visitors to and from the shore. The wards and operating theatres were on the lower decks, and the weather deck housed convalescing patients.
The 48-gun ship, HMS Grampus, was soon too small and was replaced by HMS Dreadnought in 1831. A 104-gun ship, HMS Dreadnought, served at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Shortly afterwards, a legacy donation of £55,000 – an enormous sum at the time – enabled the Seamen's Hospital Society to be incorporated by an Act of Parliament.
In 1857, the hospital again moved, this time to the HMS Caledonia. However, it renamed itself HMS Dreadnought as the name, then synonymous with the floating hospital, carried a well-earned prestige of its own.
Thanks to the Seamen's Society's tireless advocacy, a significant milestone was achieved in the Merchant Shipping Act of 1867. This pivotal legislation mandated the daily provision of lime juice to combat the widespread prevalence of scurvy among seamen. Additionally, the Society frequently assumed the crucial responsibility of addressing and containing outbreaks of cholera and typhus, further solidifying their commitment to the well-being of seafarers and the broader community.
Image: Watercolour drawing of the leg from a patient suffering from scurvy. From a patient on board the Dreadnought Hospital ship.
Dreadnought on land
The "Seamen's Hospital Society," by whom this valuable institution was founded, have changed their quarters to a portion of Greenwich Hospital which has been granted to them by the government. Though, undoubtedly, their new abode will be found much more commodious and convenient than the Dreadnought, still the old vessel, which has come to be looked upon as almost a national institution, will be greatly missed.”
Image: Graphic (newspaper), Saturday, 28 May 1887.
The impact of several cholera epidemics and advances in medical science meant that by the 1860s, the hospital ships were no longer considered fit for purpose in terms of amenities and size (the ship could only accommodate 180 beds). The Admiralty loaned the Infirmary of Greenwich Hospital to the Society, and the hospital ship became a land hospital in 1870, able to hold 300 beds.
Patients included the writer Joseph Conrad also known as Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski (pictured), who was treated there for measles in 1881. Conrad’s experience in both the French and British merchant navies influenced his work, including his novella, 'Heart of Darkness'.
“It is pretty well known that the Dreadnought is the only special hospital for seamen free to all mercantile nations of the world. As the report announces, 200,000 seamen have been received by it since 1821, the date of its foundation.” Morning Post, Thursday, 13 February, 1879.
What made the Dreadnought Seaman’s Hospital special?
The Dreadnought secured donations from across the world in recognition of the care it provided to citizens of all nations. For example, in 1877, The Morning Post reported that the Chinese Government intended to make a £20 annual donation. At home, several of the City's Liveries also contributed, including the Goldsmiths', the Clothworkers', the Saddlers', the Mercers', the Drapers', the Skinners', the Vintners', the Salters', and the Worshipful Merchant Taylors' Company.
In 1874, the Society launched a series of fundraising campaigns to develop a new branch at the Albert dock officially opened in 1889. At this branch in particular, the hospital earned a global reputation for its contribution to understanding diseases such as cholera, typhoid and scurvy, which later led to the establishment of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
In 1877, the School of Nursing was established at the Dreadnought Hospital in Greenwich and for 109 years, it provided high-quality professional training to nurses serving seafaring patients.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the hospital also tended to local emergencies, including labourers injured during the construction of the Blackwall tunnel, which resulted in the construction company Pearson helping the university to raise funds for the hospital.
The hospital initially depended on donations from the elite. Still, it evolved during a significant rise in philanthropy among the burgeoning middle classes. Society was waking up to the impact of industrialisation and urbanisation. In this context, it was essential for the Hospital to demonstrate how it offered unique solutions to societal problems.
A ward of at least six beds was endowed to the Seafarer's Hospital Society in memory of Annie Zunz, who died in 1896. Annie's husband was Siegfried Rudolf Zunz, an iron merchant who gifted numerous hospital wards in his late wife's name. Siegfried came to London from Frankfurt-am-Main in 1860 and married Annie, an Irishwoman, in 1874. Annie died in 1896, and Siegfried died just three years later. As they did not have children, Siegfried left £25,000 to a London Hospital (St Mary's Hospital in Praed Street) to build and maintain a ward named 'The Annie Zunz Ward' in memory of his beloved wife. The remainder of his estate, valued at £115,200, was given to other London Hospitals to support Annie Zunz wards.
The First World War
The Seamen's Hospital Society is a forerunner to many charities established for service members and their families during and after the First World War. Community fundraising started to become part of day-to-day life, and its legacy can be found in the poppy appeals still with us today.
Unsurprisingly, the Great War placed the Dreadnought Hospital under unprecedented strain and even prompted a royal visit from King George V and Queen Mary in September 1915. The Hospital was treating 320 veterans of the Dardanelles campaign at the time.
The impact of the First World War on the merchant fleet was also stark, with 2,479 British merchant vessels and 675 British fishing vessels falling victim to enemy actions, leading to the tragic loss of nearly 15,000 lives. It's worth noting that the merchant fleet included many individuals born outside the United Kingdom, whose invaluable contributions to the war effort often go unnoticed and uncelebrated.
During the First World War, individuals, organisations and societies maintained the fundraising tradition by endowing beds and wards at the Dreadnought Hospital. These were made possible by donations of £1000 or more. Today, the attractive plaques from the former wards can be found in the corridors of the ground floor of the university building. A few examples are shared below.
© Mark Littler (WMR-101814).
Description: Wall mounted white marble tablet with blue and white geometric border. Inscription in red capital lettering.
Inscription: LLOYDS BANK BED/ MAINTAINED AS A TRIBUTE TO/ THE FORTITUDE AND RESOURCE/ OF BRITISH SEAMEN DURING/ THE GREAT WAR
© Mark Littler (WMR-101813)
Description: Wall mounted white marble tablet with blue and white geometric border. Top left is a badge of the Canadian forces. Inscription in red capital lettering.
Inscription: THE HAMILTON CANADA BED/ A TRIBUTE TO THE COURAGE OF/ THE BRITISH SAILORS OF THE ROYAL/ NAVY AND MERCANTILE MARINE/ DURING THE GREAT WAR 1914 - 1918 AND/ IN MEMORY OF THEIR HEROIC DEAD. 11TH NOV 1918
© Mark Littler (WMR-101815)
Description: Wall mounted white marble tablet with blue and white geometric border. Top centre is a badge of the Ladies Emergency Committee. Inscription in red capital lettering.
Inscription: IN GRATITUDE TO THE MEN OF THE ROYAL/ NAVY FOR THEIR UNFLINCHING BRAVERY/ AND ENDURANCE THROUGH THE GREAT WAR/ THE LADIES EMERGENCY COMMITTEE OF THE/ NAVY LEAGUE HAVE ENDOWED THIS BED WITH/ FUNDS REMAINING AFTER THE CESSATION OF/ THEIR WORK 1914 – 1918
“Anxious to show the appreciation of his countrymen for the kind treatment given to Japanese seamen at the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich, the Japanese Consul-General, Mr. K. Kamasaki, has induced Japanese merchants, shipowners, and shipbuilders to endow a bed at the institution. The fund quickly reached £1,000, and was gladly received by the hospital's chairman, Sir Perceval Nairne. The new bed will be happily called the Cherry Blossom," and is a worthy companion to the "Chrysanthemum“ bed already there.” The Hospital, 16 November 1918
Interwar years
The significance of tuberculosis as a prominent cause of death among seamen became apparent in the early 20th century, prompting the Hospital to take a pioneering role in its prevention and treatment. Initially, an open-air ward was established, followed by the construction of a state-of-the-art sanatorium in Hampshire.
Between the wars, the Society included seven hospitals – the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital in Greenwich; Albert Dock Hospital in East London; King George’s sanatorium for sailors in Hampshire; Queen Alexandra Hospital in Marseilles; Angas Convalescent home in Kent; Tilbury Hospital in Kent; and London School of Tropical Medicine in central London.
Gifts of all sizes made a difference to the Hospital and its patients. For example, each year, the Australian High Commission donated the ingredients for a giant Christmas pudding served to Dreadnought patients on Christmas day. Whereas each August bank holiday, a large-scale model of the Dreadnought Hospital ship was floated on the river in front of the Royal Naval College as part of fundraising events during the annual regatta.
The Second World War
In 1939, the Ministry of Health’s Emergency Hospital Service utilised the Dreadnought, Albert Dock and Tilbury Hospitals as casualty clearing hospitals. However, the following year, the northwest wing of the Dreadnought Hospital, including the chapel, was destroyed by a bomb, resulting in the launch of a new fundraising appeal, the ‘Dreadnought Restoration Fund’. Further damage was inflicted by V1 and V2 rockets in 1944.
During the 1940s, the innovative use of mass miniature chest x-rays for screening seamen marked a significant advancement in healthcare practices.
Post-war, the emergence of the NHS and later the decline of the merchant shipping industry led to a sharp decline in demand for the hospital, which closed in 1986, transferring its services upriver to St Thomas’ Hospital. The Dreadnought building fell into disrepair until 1998, when it was developed into a new library for the University of Greenwich.
Today, the Dreadnought building retains its character and sense of history. It is a state-of-the-art hub providing learning, gym facilities, a 500-person capacity bar, teaching and social space. You can visit the building and enjoy its setting within the wider UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sources
The registers of the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital are now available as an online resource and museum volunteers have transcribed over one hundred years of medical records from the Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital, Greenwich's unique 'floating hospital'. For more information visit Royal Museum Greenwich website.
- The Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Heritage & Education Centre
- Carter, Tim. 2023. “The Seafarers Hospital Society — Past and Present.” International Maritime Health 74
- Cook, Gordon Charles. Disease in the merchant navy: A history of the seamen’s hospital society. Oxford: Radcliffe, 2007.
- Goldsmith, E, and A G McBride. “Dreadnought Seamen’s Hospital.” BMJ 1, no. 6024 (1976)
- Hospital for seafarers
- The Port of London Study Group
- Historic England
- Royal Museums Greenwich
- Greenwich Guide
- Lost Hospitals of London
Mary Davies
Associate Director, Alumni and Fundraising
Marketing and External Relations
