Administrative and financial records relating to John Howard's Convalescent Home, a holiday home for people with complicated physical disabilities established in 1914 by Sir John Howard (c.1830-1917), entrepreneur and railway owner. The home seemed to operate from 1914 to 1947 before being nationalised as part of the new National Health Service. Not much is known about the subsequent twenty years but in 1974 it was taken over by the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. The Hospital renovated the premises and the hospital acted as a holiday home and a place for long-term residents. In March 1996, the Hospital closed the Home citing that it had become uneconomical to run and required costly renovation to meet suitable modern standards.
The collection includes admission books, medical reports and accounts for the home dating from 1914-1962.
The collection spans from its inception in 1854 to the present day and includes records relating to governance, administration, estate, financial, fundraising, medical and research. There is a wide variety of types of records include committee minutes, correspondence, admission case books, domestic ledgers, reports, fundraising pamphlets and audio-visual material and photographs.
Various papers relating to administration of the hospital, which have been broadly categorised into the following sections: papers relating to governance and establishment of the charity, including constitution, minutes of various executive boards, papers relating to the Royal charter, papers relating to special committees and correspondence to the Board, including letters from Florence Nightingale; records of hospital admissions and patient voting system, including patient case book and list of subscribers to the charity; estate and staff records; records relating to the Chaplaincy and religious services at the hospital and visitor books.
Meeting minutes and reports of annual general meetings for the charity, this includes first meeting held in November 1854, where the constitution of the charity was agreed, as well as reports of proceedings of the general meetings held in 1899-1900.
Volume containing the first constitution of the charity and minutes from general meetings. The volume contains minutes from the general meeting held at the London Tavern on the 27 November 1854 for the first election to the 84th annual general meeting held on 25 November 1938. Meeting minutes include information about changes in the constitution, board and hospital appointments and other business matters including medical testimonials for the environmental benefits for Coulsden site in 1860; the Hospital's response to the report of the select committee to the House of Lords, which was critical of some aspects of the hospital administration, 1892. Later entries include attached annual reports and other reports and articles presented at the meetings.
Bound volume containing the meeting minutes of the annual general meetings of the charity from 1939 to 2004. Volume contains numerous inserts including typescript agendas and annual reports.
Manuscript report of the 45th annual general meeting of the Hospital held at the Cannon Street Hotel, London on Friday 25 November 1898. The chair was Herbert John Allcroft. The transcript includes a lengthy discussion of the inclusion of female members on the Hospital's Board of Management which was eventually dismissed.
Manuscript report of the 45th annual general meeting of the Hospital held at the Cannon Street Hotel, London on Friday 24 November 1899. The chair was Herbert John Allcroft. The transcript includes a lengthy discussion of the inclusion of female members on the Hospital's Board of Management, which was previously raised the previous year and was also eventually dismissed.
Bound meeting minutes of the Hospital's Committee Board, who governed the charity. The Board met every fortnight and would make all decisions in relates to policy. When the charity first started the Chairman of the Board was the Treasurer until 1911 when an independent office of chairman was created. The Secretary (now Chief Executive) would prepare the agenda and circulate the minutes to the other committee members.
Committee members for the Board of Management were initially composed of businessmen working in the City of London and later retired military service men, with usually no less than twenty members present at one time.
The meeting minutes are predominantly handwritten but become typescript in the mid 20th century and usually include various inserts of papers discussed during meetings as well as letters and statements transcribed into the minutes.
Minutes of the board of management for the Royal Hospital dating from its inception on 31 July 1854 to 14 January 1858. The volumes contains manuscript meeting minutes for the first official meeting of the charity held at Mansion House on 31 July 1854, along with notes from preliminary meetings held in July, copies of initial appeals and the first constitution for the charity. The volume includes an index in alphabetical order at the back of the volume.
Minutes of the board of management of the hospital covering 28 January 1858 to 12 April 1860. Manuscript meeting minutes with an alphabetically arranged index.
Meeting minutes for the Board of Management of the Hospital from 16 April 1860 to 22 August 1861. The manuscript minutes in this volume include an indexed in alphabetical order.
Minutes for the board of management of the Hospital covering the period 12 September 1861 to 14 May 1863. Manuscript meeting meetings with an index arranged alphabetically.
Meeting minutes of the board of management of the Hospital for the period, 28 May 1863 to 13 July 1865. Manuscript meeting minutes with front index arranged alphabetically. The volume includes some loose meeting documents including manuscript meeting notes with a motion by Mr Banting about increasing the monthly allowance for elected patients to the hospital.
Meeting minutes of the board of management of the hospital between 27 July 1865 to 14 March 1867. Volume contains manuscript minutes of the meetings of the board and includes a front index arranged alphabetically. Volumes includes a loose enclosed draft first page of the meeting minutes for 27 July 1865.
Board meeting minutes for the hospital from March 1867 to January 1869, including index in alphabetical order. The front of the volume contains a leather case with various manuscript documents, such as agendas and meeting notes.
Meeting minutes for the board of management between 25 February 1869 to 4 July 1871. Volume contains manuscript meeting minutes of the board, which are indexed alphabetically.
Meeting minutes for the board of management for the hospital between 13 July 1871 and 28 November 1873. The volume contains manuscript meeting minutes which are indexed alphabetically. There are also two loose attached manuscript meeting notes.
Meeting minutes for the Hospital Board of Management dating from 11 December 1873 to 23 December 1875. The manuscript minutes are indexed and contain no inserts. The volume is entitled 'Royal Hospital for Incurables Board Minutes 1874".
