Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast to open archives and tell story of its 125 year history, with National Lottery

The Royal Victoria Hospital is opening up its archives and publishing oral histories to tell the full story of its 125-year history.

The RVH 125 project has received £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to welcome the public to the historic site for talks, tours and exhibitions sharing the Royal’s collection of social and medical histories.

placeholder image — Medical and nursing staff in one of the original operating theatres of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, early 1900s. In an era before the NHS, the hospital relied on philanthropy: it was equipped with modern facilities and supplies thanks to donations from wealthy patrons and ordinary people throughout the city.

It will mark the hospital’s landmark anniversary in 2028.

Since its official opening on July 27 1903, the Royal Victoria Hospital has provided round-the-clock healthcare for the people of Belfast and beyond.

By the late 1800s, the old General Hospital on Frederick Street was no longer fit for purpose.

Recognising the need for a new purpose-built hospital to meet the demands of a burgeoning industrial city, the Lord Mayor William Pirrie and his wife Margaret, took a major role in establishing the new facility.

Marking the announcement, Professor Stuart Elborn, chair of Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, said: “The Royal has long stood at the heart of healthcare in Belfast, with a proud and rich heritage built on excellence in clinical care, education, research and service to our community.

“Preserving and celebrating that legacy is essential, not only to honour those who came before us, but to inspire future generations.”

RVH 125 will use storytelling and oral histories to connect with the hospital’s vast but untapped material archive. Over three years, the project team will work closely with local community groups, former staff, and partner organisations to gather materials and stories, creating a digital museum with a dedicated website.

The last of the original operating theatres in the Royal, the Sir Ian Fraser Lecture Theatre, will be refurbished and opened to the public to host permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Medical artefacts and documents will be on display, along with maps, plans, reports and photographs documenting the design and construction of the 1903 building and its historic air conditioning system as well as celebrating the many medical innovations that took place at the site and the history of nursing at the Royal.

Belfast Trust will appoint a new project team to deliver RVH 125, including a project coordinator and a project archivist.

Jennifer Welsh, chief executive of Belfast Trust said: “I would like to sincerely thank the Heritage Fund for their generous support. Their investment enables us to capture and share the remarkable stories, people and achievements that define the Royal Victoria Hospital and its enduring contribution to health and wellbeing across Northern Ireland.”

The project will explore the generous philanthropic heritage of the people of Belfast and beyond, in their charitable support of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Special workshops will be offered to train volunteers in cataloguing and digitising documents and photographic collections to assist the project team.

Plans also include cataloguing the contents of the existing Archive Office in the King Edward Building to make it accessible for research use and guided visits.