Hospital history piece brings back ‘awful’ memories

Our article looking back at the history of Swandean Hospital in Worthing brought back memories for several readers.

For Elizabeth Walton, of Greet Road, it was a reminder of a dish she grew to hate!

She said: “On reading the article about Swandean Hospital, I was reminded of when my brother and I were admitted to Swandean in 1947.

“We both had scarlet fever and were there for four weeks – my brother was eight and I was seven.

“We remember having boiled fish for dinner most days – it was awful.

“I am now 80 and still can’t eat fish. We were not allowed any visitors and when we left, all our belongings had to be fumigated.

“How different it is today.”

Swandean Hospital, in Arundel Road, was originally an isolation hospital, having first opened at the end of the 19th century, but it later became a geriatric unit after the foundation of the NHS in 1948.

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