Laundry File A/8

Correspondence and enclosed material relating to Laundry staff, Essential Works Orders, Regional Laundry Surveys by the British Launderer's Association, the transfer of Laundry services from Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary to the Crichton Laundry, Laundry outputs in terms of steam, water and electricity consumption, notices to wards and departments concerning changes to services and holidays; arrangements made after damage to the Crichton Laundry by fire in 1959, the opening of the newly built Crichton Laundry in 1962, the establishment of dry cleaning services and the centralisation of hospital Laundry services in the region.

1938-1963

1 file

The first Laundry at the Crichton Royal Institution was situated at the front of the original building, it was then relocated to the rear of the building where it remained until 1877. A new Laundry was then built at Hillhead and operated until fire destroyed the building and machinery in 1959. Some female patients worked in the laundry and Johnston House was originally called the Laundry block as it was built next to the Laundry to accommodate these working patients. During the construction of a new building, Crichton Laundry staff were sent to work at Irvine Central Hospital. In 1962 a new building was erected to the east of the farm buildings. By 1963 the Crichton Laundry provided a region wide service to hospitals in Dumfries, Thornhill, Lochmaben, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart and Stranraer.

Enquiries for reproduction for commercial purposes should be directed to the Archivist, Dumfries and Galloway Archives and Local Studies

The papers are available at Dumfries and Galloway Archives subject to conditions of UK Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2012. Subject to these restrictions, this material is being digitised by the University of Glasgow as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project. Material that is digitised will be accessed freely online through the Wellcome Library catalogue.