An early-20th century photograph of the conservatory which linked Glasgow Royal Infirmary to the nurses' home.
The Royal opened its nurses' home in 1888, providing eighty-eight bedrooms. The glazed covered way was erected to provide shelter for the nurses on their way between the home and the main infirmary building, and was variously known as "the conservatory," "the greenhouse corridor" and "the chicken run."
The decision to glaze the corridor may not have been taken on aesthetic grounds alone. It permitted matron to look down from her flat above, to ensure her nurses were not bringing unauthorised visitors (especially of the male variety!) into the home.
Reference: RCPSG 28/30
Reproduced with the permission of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Keywords:
chicken run, conservatories, corridors, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, greenhouse corridor, infirmaries, matrons, nurses' homes, nursing, voluntary hospitals
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