Hospital Name: St Cadoc’s Hospital
Previous Names: Newport Borough Asylum, Newport Borough Mental Hospital
Location: Lodge Road, Caerleon
Principal Architect: Alfred J. Wood
Layout: Compact Arrow
Status: Open
Opened: 1906

In 1847 the counties of Monmouth, Brecon, Hereford, Radnor and the City of Hereford agreed to build a joint mental hospital at Abergavenny which was completed in 1852. In 1891 Newport was constituted as a County Borough. The union between the counties was dissolved in 1896 and in the following year the County of Monmouth required the Borough to provide its own mental hospital accommodation and to remove its patients from Abergavenny, although provision was made for Newport patients to be received for a further ten years. As a result a new mental hospital was built by the County Borough of Newport.

The site of the new hospital, comprising an area of 123 acres, was purchased for £16,000. The plans were drawn up by Alfred J. Wood, architect, and the buildings were erected by Messrs. John Linton & Co., Newport, at a cost of £155,000.

The foundation stone was laid on 27^th May, 1903, by Cllr. J.H. Dunn, Mayor of Newport. The hospital was officially opened on 25^th January, 1906, by the then Mayor of Newport, Cllr. John Liscombe, and the first fifty patients were received from Abergavenny on 30^th January, 1906. The wards for patients were all two stories in height, those nearest the administration block being designed for sick and infirm cases and accommodating 30 patients on each floor; the next block was designed for 35 epileptic and 35 quiet and chronic cases. Next to this was the block for recent and acute cases, accommodating 27 patients on each floor.

In addition to the main hospital, a chapel, mortuary, farm and garden buildings, two entrance lodges and six cottages for staff were also constructed. Two houses known as Pollards Well and Talybont (later re-named Penybont) were purchased.

From 1906 to 1948 the Hospital was managed by the Visiting Committee of the Newport Corporation; in 1919 it was re-named Newport County Borough Mental Hospital.

During World War II the Hospital took the name of St. Cadoc’s Emergency Hospital for the purposes of the Emergency Medical Services. It was re-named St. Cadoc’s Hospital in 1946.

Additions to the original building have been made as follows:

1911 – Two Staff Cottages
1912 – Potato Store
1926 – Two Staff Cottages
1927 – Two Staff Cottages
1932 – Two Staff Cottages
1952 – Male Occupational Therapy Centre
1954 – Female Occupational Therapy Centre and Operating Theatre
1954 – Isolation Annexes to Wards M3 and F3

On 20^th July, 1961, a new admission unit and outpatient clinic was opened by Sir Godfrey Llewellyn, Chairman of the Welsh Hospital Board. The unit provided 46 beds (24 female and 22 male), bringing the total bed complement of the hospital to 504.

Images contributed:

 

Records

The hospital is still open so records are still held with the local NHS trust – https://abuhb.nhs.wales/hospitals/community-services/community-hospitals-and-facilities/st-cadocs-hospital/

Burials/Cemetery

There was no onsite cemetery – unclaimed patients were likely buried at St Cadoc’s Churchyard

6 responses to “St Cadoc’s”

1. I would love to take s walk around this building my grandmother was in there in the seventies and sadly passed away there. We used to visit her every week.

   Reply

   • It’s still a live hospital so you can in theory walk around some of the grounds.

     Reply

2. I started working there as a domestic when I was 13 in 83 absolutely loved working there would love to visit one day

   Reply

3. i was in the pollards well in the 80’s and would like to know what happend that unit

   Reply

4. Hi , my brother Nik attended Pollards Well twice as he was naughty, struggling with reading & writing .. kinda lived there too briefly (pre 1980) .. he has good memories though and wishes there was a Fb Group available for a reunion maybe

   Reply

5. Hello, I have discovered that my Great Grandmother, Mary Dyer, DOB 1866, was living at the hospital in 1939 (1939 Register) and died there in 1944. I would love to know how long she was there in total. I know she lost a son, aged 17, under tragic circumstances, in 1923 and never recovered from it. Her husband died in 1927. Other members of the family seem to think she was at the hospital as a result of not coping with these two events. Perhaps she was at the hospital for many years? I would love to know. Do you have archive records? I don’t live in Newport now but I could make a special visit if necessary. Thank you for your time.

   Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.