Somerset Hospital
The Somerset Hospital in Green Point opened in 1864. The hospital replaced the hospital in Cape Town with the same name. This one was founded by Dr Samuel Bailey in 1818 as the first civilian hospital in the city. It was named after Lord Charles Somerset the governor of the Cape Colony who donated the land for the construction. The cornerstone was laid on 18 August 1859 by Sir George Grey who was the Cape Governor at the time. The Chavonnes Battery was used as an isolation and convalescent wing for the hospital.
Somerset hospital circa 1870
The hospital later established a nurse training school and was the first hospital to train non-white nurses. It was also the first hospital in South Africa to be used to train doctors. Between 1918 and 1937. Until the Groote Schuur Hospital opened and became the academic hospital of the University of Cape Town. It is still in use today and the hospital is home to the Cape Medical Museum.
Portswood Road, Green Point, 8001
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