Radcliffe Infirmary

Radcliffe Infirmary
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust
File:Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 82358.jpg
Geography
Location	Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Organisation
Care system	Public NHS
Hospital type	Specialist
Affiliated university	University of Oxford
Services
Emergency department	n/a
Beds	275
Speciality	Oxford Eye Hospital
History
Founded	1770
Closed	2007
Links
Website	http://www.oxfordradcliffe.nhs.uk
Lists	Hospitals in England

The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street. The Radcliffe Infirmary, named after physician John Radcliffe, opened in 1770 and was Oxford's first hospital. It was finally closed in 2007.

In 1758, the initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forward at a meeting of the Radcliffe Trustees, who were administering John Radcliffe's estate. £4,000 was made available for the new hospital, which was constructed on land given by Thomas Rowney, one of the two Members of Parliament for Oxford.

The fountain in front of the main infirmary building was introduced in 1858 and is of the Greek god Triton.

History

A number of pioneering moments in medical history occurred at the hospital. Penicillin was first tested on patients on 27 January 1941. The first Utah Array (later known as the BrainGate) implantation in a human (Kevin Warwick) took place on 14 March 2002.

The site was also the location of the Oxford Eye Hospital (now located at Oxford Eye Hospital Level LG1 John Radcliffe Hospital Headley Way Headington Oxford OX3 9DU) and the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology (NLO).

The Infirmary was acquired by the University of Oxford in 2003 and closed for medical use in 2007 with services being transferred to purpose-built buildings at the John Radcliffe and Churchill Hospitals in nearby Headington. The site was earmarked to consolidate the senior administrative offices of the University of Oxford. It was redeveloped by the university as the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, with planning permission approval in 2009. It now forms the Philosophy Library, replacing the old library on Merton Street. The Mathematical Institute and the Blavatnik School of Government are now located on the site.

The Woodstock Road entrance of the hospital was frequently seen in the ITV television series Inspector Morse.

See also

• List of hospitals in England
• John Radcliffe Hospital

External links

• Radcliffe Infirmary information and history from the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals website
• Radcliffe Infirmary Site Summary Information from the NHS
• Oxford Eye Hospital — Radcliffe Infirmary including directions