Foundation Stone
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Foundation Stone by David Robinson as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Image: © David Robinson Taken: 16 Sep 2021
The source of this stone is a mystery to me. It lies beside the farm track / bridleway as it passes Humble Knowle plantation. The inscription reads: This stone was laid by Sir Napier Burnett KBE MD FRCP FRCS Director Hospital Service Department British Red Cross Society July 12th 1923. Sir Napier Burnett was knighted after WWI for his services in controlling costs in the nation's hospitals during the war effort, and given the post of Director of Hospital Service Department in 1920. He died not long after the laying of the foundation stone as his obituary appears in the BMJ in early January 1924. But what significant building is this stone from, and how has it ended up here? The nearest hospital would have been Winterton at Sedgefield, but it pre-dates 1923 by a long time.