This Remembrance Sunday, we are looking through the archives. During the First World War, things at the Gallery went on as normal, well as normal as possible considering a number of the male staff had either volunteered or been conscripted. Meanwhile, the Gallery had been “exhibiting important works connected with the Ministry of Information; a Government exhibition of War Photographs, the War Relics exhibition and a valuable collection of pictures painted by Sir William Orpen, all propaganda work for the Government”. (Letter from the Art Committee Chairman to the Military Service Tribunal, September 18th 1918).
A photograph of gallery 7 taken in 1914 © Manchester Art Gallery
Then, in 1916, there was a request made of the Gallery. It was entered into the minutes during the Art Committee Meeting of 30th July 1915;
Entry from Art Committee Minutes, Vol. 11, pg. 95 © Manchester Art Gallery
“Memorandum,” it reads. “Read letter from Alderman Goldschmidt asking for the use of a room in the City Art Gallery for Military and Red Cross Nurses.
Resolved: That under the direction of the Chairman, Sir Charles Behrens and Alderman Goldschmidt the large room on the ground floor at the back of the staircase at the City Art Gallery be allotted for the use of Military and Red Cross Nurses with the desire expressed in the letter now read.”
-Manchester Art Gallery, Art Council Minutes Vol. 11, page 96.
That room at the back of the staircase is now the Gallery Shop.
In the Press Cuttings Archive for 1913-1917 on page 166, there is a cutting from the Guardian Newspaper titled, A Red Cross Room at the Manchester Art Gallery, which has been transformed into a quiet, restful space.
Press cutting from The Guardian, 8th September 1915
The text below the photograph reads; “One of the rooms at the Manchester Art Gallery, which has recently been turned into a rest-room for Red Cross Nurses. It was originally used as a packing and store room for pictures, but has now, as the photograph shows, been very comfortably furnished and provided with book and magazines. The rest-room is in constant use by the Red Cross Nurses for whose convenience it had been fitted up.”
All of which begs the question; where was the hospital it served? Because the Gallery was too far away from the Manchester Royal Infirmary to be practical and the Royal Infirmary, that stood in what is now Piccadilly Gardens, was demolished in 1910.
To cope with the number of wounded soldiers coming from France, several military general hospitals opened across the country, requisitioning buildings where needed. Manchester was home to the 2nd Western General Hospital. At one point, it had 2500 beds and treated over quarter of a million casualties.
Wounded and nurses in the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester (source)
It opened in 1914 at the Central School on Whitworth Street Manchester, providing 520 beds. The building is still there today and now known as the Shena Simon College, part of the MMU campus. The hospital soon expanded and took over at least another 20 buildings, in and around Manchester, one being the Municipal College of Technology. Nearby Whitworth Gardens (now called Sackville Gardens) was a popular outdoor area for convalescing soldiers.
This put nurses within a stone's throw of the Art Gallery, so is not surprising that the Art Gallery Committee allowed the use of a room for them. By June 1919, the room had been in continuous use and since 1915 had been visited by nearly 40,000 Sisters and Nurses, who “greatly appreciated the facilities for rest and quiet, obtainable in the best and most convenient situation in Manchester”. (Letter of thanks to the Art Committee from L. Heine, July 17th , 1919).
In 1919, the Art Gallery Committee also received a letter of thanks from Matron Sparshott, Principal Matron of the 2nd Western General Hospital and the Territorial Force Nursing Service;
Art Committee Minutes, Vol 11, pg. 95 © Manchester Art Gallery
The Letter reads; “Dear Sir, I beg to thank you for your letter regarding the Nurses Room at the Art Gallery. I was very much afraid we should not be able to procure it, and I would like to thank you and your committee, as Principal Matron of the Territorial Nurses in Manchester, for so kindly letting us have the room for the Military and Red Cross Nurses during the War. IT has been a tremendous boon to all my nurses to be able to use this room in such a central position, and we would like you know how much we appreciated it. I am, Yours Faithfully, N.C. Sparshott, Principal Matron, T.F.N.S.”
More than a century later from the First World War, it’s inspiring to see how deeply our foundation as a Trauma-informed Gallery and Mindful Museum has taken root. Our commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and healing space is woven into our history and continues to shape everything we do today;. From our exhibitions to our community programmes, we strive to offer a space where art, mindfulness and mental well-being come together to support every visitor’s journey.
FURTHER READING:
Balaclava and a Brief History of PTSD
Tales From the Archives: A Brush With the Law