The Queens Hospital was commenced in 1840, the first stone being laid by Earl Howe on the 18th of June.  His Royal Highness the Prince Consort was chosen as first president, and remained so until his death, the office not being filled up again until 1875, when Lord Leigh was appointed.  Many special efforts have been made to increase the funds of this hospital, and with great success; thus, on Dec. 28, 1848, Jenny Lind sang for it, the receipts amounting to L1,070.  On July 27, 1857, a fete at Aston Park added L2,527 6s. 2d. (a like sum being given to the General Hospital).  In 1859, Mr. Sands Cox (to whom is due the merit of originating the Queen’s Hospital), commenced the arduous task of collecting a million postage stamps, equivalent to L4,166 13s. 4d., to clear the then liabilities, to erect a chapel, and for purposes of extension.  Her Majesty the Queen forwarded (Feb. 15, 1859) a cheque for L100 toward this fund.  On January 16, 1869, the workmen of the town decided to erect a new wing to the Hospital, and subscribed so freely that Lord Leigh laid the foundation stone Dec. 4, 1871, and the “Workmen’s Extension” was opened for patients Nov. 7, 1873.  In 1880 a bazaar at the Town Hall brought in L3,687 17s., increased by donations and new subscriptions to L5,969.  The system of admission by subscribers’ tickets was done away with Nov. 1, 1875, a registration fee of 1s. being adopted instead.  This fee, however, is not required in urgent cases or accident, nor when the patient is believed to be too poor to pay it.  The ordinary income for the year 1882 was L5,580, as compared with L4,834 in the previous year, when the ordinary income was supplemented by the further sum of L4,356 from the Hospital Sunday collection, which falls to the Queen’s Hospital once in three years.  The chief items of ordinary income were, subscriptions 1881, L2,780; 1882, L2,788; donations, 1881, L397; 1882, L237; Hospital Saturday, 1881, L711; 1882, L852; legacies, 1881, L208; 1882, L870; dividends, 1881, L178; 1882, L199; registration fees, 1881, L538; 1882, L597.  The expenditure for the year was L7,264, as compared with L6,997 in 1881.  The number of in-patients in 1882 was 1,669, as compared with 1,663 in 1881; the number of out-patients was 16,538, as compared with 14,490 in the preceding year.  The cost of each in-patient was L3 2s. 3-1/4d.  Of the in-patients, 811 were admitted by registration, the remainder being treated as accidents or urgent cases.  Of the out-patients, 8,359 were admitted by registration, the remainder, namely, 8,179, were admitted free.

The Children’s Hospital, founded in 1861, was first opened for the reception of patients Jan. 1, 1862, in the old mansion in Steelhouse Lane, fronting the Upper Priory.  At the commencement of 1870 the Hospital was removed to Broad Street, to the building formerly known as the Lying-in Hospital, an out-patient department, specially erected at a cost of about L3,250, being opened at the same time (January) in Steelhouse