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Crimicar Lane Hospital and Sanatorium was a former isolation hospital for sufferers of smallpox and tuberculosis in the City of Sheffield, England. It was situated in the suburb of Lodge Moor. The hospital opened in 1902 and closed in 1956.
History
The hospital was opened in November 1902 by the Hospitals Committee of Sheffield Corporation as a facility for the treatment of smallpox, it consisted of two 21-bed wards, an eight bedded isolation block, administration building and a building for disinfecting and laundering garments. Prior to World War I almost all admissions were smallpox cases. However, a successful vaccination programme saw the number of patients drop significantly as the disease was almost eradicated. This led to Crimicar Lane admitting increasing numbers of tuberculosis and silicosis cases, many of which were connected with Sheffield’s cutlery industry, which used grindstones and buffing wheels for polishing, creating a large amount of gritty dust which caused respiratory diseases.
During World War I the hospital was partly used to accommodate injured soldiers and a temporary wooden ward was erected to provide the extra space needed. In 1948, with the establishment of the NHS, the hospital was transferred to Sheffield No 3 Hospital Management Committee of Sheffield Regional Hospital Board (SRHB). In 1955 the Board recommended that Crimicar Lane should no longer be used as a hospital and on 31 May 1956 all patients were transferred to Lodge Moor Hospital. The hospital stood empty for some time before being demolished to make way for the housing which now stands on Westminster Crescent. All that remains of the old hospital are the perimeter wall and the main gates which have a memorial plaque attached to them.