Steps at the former Peel Hospital near Galashiels

Image: © Walter Baxter Taken: 2 Nov 1987

These steps provided access between Peel House and the main hospital complex. The east end of the Catering Store is at the foot of the steps on the left, with beyond, the east end of the Dining Room/Canteen on the left and the west end of Ward 10 on the right. In 1939 Lord Craigmyle handed over Peel House and its grounds on trust to be used as a hospital for service patients. Peel Hospital was built as an emergency medical service hospital and after the war, in 1948 when the NHS came into being, the hospital was used for the treatment of civilian patients. Permission was also granted to set up a training school for nurses. The hospital consisted of the mansion house which acted as a medical and senior nursing staff residency, dining room, kitchen and recreation area, and a number of standard wooden war time huts used as wards and support service areas. The Peel site was closed in April 1988 and all services transferred to the new Borders General Hospital Image] at Huntlyburn in Melrose. Many of the staff who worked here still have fond memories of the hospital and the camaraderie of the place, something that was somehow missing when the new hospital opened. A private housing scheme now occupies the former Peel Hospital Site.

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