We have some wonderful items of great historic significance in the collection; an ivory ceremonial hammer and spirit level used by Queen Victoria to lay the foundation stone of our London Road site in 1891, a proceedings book from 1803 featuring many notable Derby dignitaries of the day including William and Joseph Strutt, William Cavendish, Richard Arkwright Junior, and Sir Robert Wilmot, legal documents and title deeds from 1838, two OBE’s, a vast array of military nursing medals, a nurses tippet from the Crimean war, Florence Nightingale’s signature, a visitors book signed by both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, stained glass windows from the chapel of the original hospital site, oil paintings, photographs, poison bottles, apothecary jars, ceramics, silver trophies, newspaper clippings, antiquarian books, surgical instruments and much more.
The collection is on display in cabinets across our hospital sites. The locations of the cabinets are:
The Royal Derby Hospital - on the main corridor, opposite the Faith Centre
Florence Nightingale Community Hospital - in the reception area
Queens Hospital Burton - Level 1 and Level 2 of Treatment Centre 1
Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital - next the the restaurant
The Library at the Royal Derby Hospital also has collections on display.
The Library provides an "Object Handling" session for staff wellbeing sessions and as boredom-busters for patients on the Wards. We also provide a pop-up museum for events. If you would like to book any of these sessions, or require further information then please contact the Library on uhdb.library@nhs.net
Have something to donate? Please contact Beth Rawson, our Museum Curator on beth.rawson@nhs.net