Devonshire Royal Hospital

Devonshire Royal Hospital

Originally built as stables to the Crescent between 1785 and 1790 by John Carr for the 5th Duke of Devonshire, this building was converted to a hospital in 1859 by Henry Currey. A clock tower and domes were added in 1880–81 by Robert Ripon Duke, with further alterations and additions in the 20th century.

The building is constructed in ashlar gritstone with ashlar dressings, slate roof, and copper domes. It forms a square plan with canted corners and a circular courtyard at its centre.

The exterior presents two storeys with eleven windows to each front and three windows to each corner front. A plinth, ground floor impost band, and dentilated eaves cornice run across the building. The east front serves as the main entrance, featuring a slightly projecting three-window centre topped by a broad pediment. A central round-headed doorway with double doors and fanlight is flanked by single round-headed windows, with three 9-pane square windows above. The flanking four-window wings contain round-headed glazing bar windows set in plain outer arches, with four 9-pane windows above each. The chamfered corners have large central round-headed windows flanked by smaller windows, all in plain round-headed arches. All fronts are identical except the south front, which has a projecting three-bay centre with single bay returns. The pedimented south front features a former entrance in a raised moulded surround with a frieze inscription recording the charity of William Spencer, 6th Duke of Devonshire, in allowing the conversion in 1858. The urn surmounting the pediment is believed to be by Tom Wentworth of Doncaster and originally crowned the Well House (demolished), designed by J Carr in 1782.

The east front is topped by a square clock tower with two round-headed louvred bell openings to each face of the first stage, flanked by pairs of Tuscan Doric pilasters. A clock occupies each face above, flanked by pilasters and topped by pediments. Above sits a square ribbed lead dome with an iron weather vane. Over each chamfered corner stands a square wooden lantern with three blank panels to each face, the central one topped by a pediment, surmounted by an octagonal copper dome with finial. The central slated dome has a circular lantern topped with a small copper cupola. The north front is largely obscured by later alterations and additions.

The interior contains a central circular hall 180 feet in diameter with a fine Tuscan Doric colonnade of 48 columns, each 28 feet high, supporting an entablature bearing an inscription recording the donations of the 6th and 7th Dukes of Devonshire and the reconstruction of 1881 by the governors of the Cotton Districts Convalescent Fund. This colonnade was originally designed as an indoor all-weather ride. Hospital wards and rooms radiate from this space. The central area contains some ornate ironwork railing. The ribbed dome above was at one time the largest unsupported dome in the world, with a span of 154 feet.

The original stables cost £16,470.3.10 and were built to accommodate 120 horses.