Mealtimes in De Vitre Hall
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Record Number: 6.112
Record Type: Text/Image
Caption:
Taken in May 2006 on a visit by St. Martins College nursing students this is a photograph of the balcony in De Vitre Hall.
(Ref No. 16.0029)
Summary:
Recorded on June 15th 2006, this is an extract from an interview with two former nurses at the Royal Albert. Referring to the 1950s they are talking about mealtimes for female residents in De Vitre Hall. However in doing so they illuminate the restrictions on movement within the hospital as well as the relationship between the Main Hospital Committee and residents.
Maureen Worthington: ‘And no resident ever sullied that front (entrance), nor did a member of staff… Just talking about why you didn’t see anybody except the Matron, when 100 girls - I might be exaggerating, what 70 or 80? – went for lunch they walked from the ward down the bottom cellar corridor and up the stairs, because they didn’t use the Main Corridor into the dining, into the large dining hall (De Vitre)… And up above there is like a minstrel gallery… Well that was in fact for Committee members. When they met, the committee, they did in fact then proceed and go – it’s a bit like Big Brother now, you know, looking at what was going down below. So when the committee met they would, they would go into - if they wished. If they wished they could go into that gallery – Yeah and see that people were being properly looked after.’
Maureen Gerrard: ‘To inspect. To inspect.’
Maureen Worthington: 'But it was up there; and they were down there… Well the girls in fact, I can’t say they ate their lunch in silence, but it wouldn’t be, there wouldn’t be any right –‘
Maureen Gerrard: They didn’t make a noise.’
Maureen Worthington: ‘They didn’t make a big noise. And of course they always said prayers before, you know, “For what we are about to receive” that one if you remember it all… They did sit in sixes. They weren’t in huge tables.’
(Ref No. 43.0000)
Maureen Worthington: ‘And no resident ever sullied that front (entrance), nor did a member of staff… Just talking about why you didn’t see anybody except the Matron, when 100 girls - I might be exaggerating, what 70 or 80? – went for lunch they walked from the ward down the bottom cellar corridor and up the stairs, because they didn’t use the Main Corridor into the dining, into the large dining hall (De Vitre)… And up above there is like a minstrel gallery… Well that was in fact for Committee members. When they met, the committee, they did in fact then proceed and go – it’s a bit like Big Brother now, you know, looking at what was going down below. So when the committee met they would, they would go into - if they wished. If they wished they could go into that gallery – Yeah and see that people were being properly looked after.’
Maureen Gerrard: ‘To inspect. To inspect.’
Maureen Worthington: 'But it was up there; and they were down there… Well the girls in fact, I can’t say they ate their lunch in silence, but it wouldn’t be, there wouldn’t be any right –‘
Maureen Gerrard: They didn’t make a noise.’
Maureen Worthington: ‘They didn’t make a big noise. And of course they always said prayers before, you know, “For what we are about to receive” that one if you remember it all… They did sit in sixes. They weren’t in huge tables.’
(Ref No. 43.0000)
Notes:
Please refer also to Records 6.105, 6.106, 6.107 and 6.111 for a mixture of memories of De Vitre Hall from both residents and staff.
Keywords:
1950s Regime Food Female Residents Hospital Layout
Hierarchy Accountability De Vitre Hall Photograph Religion
Prayers