The former Brierton Hospital was originally built in 1933 as an isolation hospital for patients suffering from infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, scarlet fever and diphtheria.

It consisted of a combined administrative, kitchen and nurses block, separate pavilion blocks for patient accommodation and a laundry, mortuary and ambulance block, together with a porter’s lodge.

There were two pavilion blocks providing accommodation for 22 scarlet fever patients  and 16 diphtheria patients, each subdivided into male and female wards. There was also an observation block, which was divided into eight single bed cubicles, hermetically sealed from each other by a brick partition, in each of which was a large plate glass window for observation purposes.

The advent of new drugs gave the possibility to carry out mass immunisation programmes, leading to a rapid decline in these serious diseases  and the hospital was converted to a hospital for the elderly in 1971, when it had 45 beds.  

Extensions to one of the wards took place in the mid-1970s, adding another 6 beds, and further extensions led to a new building being constructed in January 1981.

In 1996 the old hospital was closed and the patients transferred to new accommodation provided by the private sector at Brierton Lodge.

A shot of Brierton Hospital, Brierton Lane, from the air. Premises are now demolished. West Hartlepool Rugby Club premises can be seen top left. The club has now moved and new housing stands on the plot.

Brierton Isolation Hosptial was part of a Catholic Charity group we used to visit regularly.

It was the old fashioned way of handling TB/Consumption/.

The outer area on the side of the main building was a glass house open each end to the weather, wind blowing through.

The patients (about 12?) were lying in beds thinly covered with a blanket or two. Beside each bed was a table - the main most often used item was a spitoon. The patient would be talking, break off start coughing up phlegm and have recourse to the spitoon.

They all had memories - one I recall used to have dogs and told us the best way to worm them was to feed them with the filter butts of cigarettes.

Later it became a nursing home and part of the hosptial in the grounds was a ward of single rooms but each was glass walled so the nurse sitting at the office at the far end could see across all the patients in her charge without leaving her room.

Tony Hay

Literally built in the middle of a field, patients at the Brierton Lane Isolation Hospital enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

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Patients at the Brierton Lane Isolation Hospital lined up on the verandah.

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