IT IS impossible not to think of the thousands of patients, visitors and staff who have walked through the corridors of one of Glasgow’s most well-known hospitals.
The Victoria Infirmary, which closed in May last year, is one of the south side’s most imposing buildings and holds many memories.
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It has remained empty as NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde wait to decide which developer it will sell the 9.5 acre site to.
Following a takeover of the building by housing provider, Sanctuary Group, I took one last tour round the building before its new chapter.
The first thing I see is beautiful stained glass on one of the Victoria’s huge stairwells.
The staircase will be knocked down, but Sanctuary has vowed to retain the windows and repurpose them elsewhere in the planned development of flats.
Andrew Smillie, operations and environment manager at demolition contractor SafeDem, who allowed me in, said taking apart such a large building was like manipulating a “huge Meccano set”.
Most of the contents have been cleared out, but there are still overhead lights in an operating theatre or call buttons for nurses.
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Mr Smillie insists he does not believe in ghosts but says: “When you’re walking alone – then you start seeing things.”
The Victoria Infirmary was opened at a cost of £16,880 on February 14 1890 by the Duke of Argyll.
It was the result of years of fundraising, boosted when Queen Victoria gave her backing to the financial efforts after learning the new hospital was to be named in her honour.
Glasgow Council offered 4.5 acres of land on the edge of Queen’s Park at a reduced price of five shillings per square yard.
Glasgow-based architects Campbell, Douglas & Sellars won the contest to build it.
The “Vicky” was staffed by two residential doctors and six visiting consultants as well as four sisters, four staff nurses, three night nurses and four student nurses.
There was also a small live-in staff of janitor, cleaners, cooks and others. In a shower block, there is a sticker from the now-defunct Scottish Health Education Group, which reads “smoking spoils other people’s appetites.”
While in the former hospital’s mortuary, where metal tables are still lying out, the only remaining sign of staff is a notice reading “when placing a body in the fridge, please write the details on the board”.
READ MORE: Trainee GPs offered £20,000 in bid to lure them to Scotland's most unpopular areas
Throughout the building, staff have written notes on walls saying goodbye to their hospital. The last shift in A&E has written a list of their names. Someone else has scrawled “Ward A rocks”.
Someone called Denise writes that she will “miss these walls”.
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