Felixstowe History Past and Present
Hands Off Felixstowe General Hospital
Judge of a Supreme Court of Judicature
decision overturned?
How, when and where was the decision made by local NHS managers.
In a muddle ? why not try selling someone else's property to help yourself out of it?
More about the Felixstowe General by Doreen Rayner.
Digging about in the Ipswich Records Office I came across interesting documents and
Minutes referring to the Felixstowe General Hospital. I am not convinced
that land and hospital building is owned by the NHS and have taken extracts from documents
so that you may judge for yourselves. Regardless of rights or wrongs or even legalities
-
it is going to help them out of a tight spot local authorities tend to take and destroy even that which
is owned by and has always been of great benefit to local people. Read on.
The Croydon Hospital, known today as the Felixstowe General, was the gift of Mr.C.Croydon
who desired it to be held in trust as provided in a Deed of Conveyance and in Trust Deeds.
A CONVEYANCE dated 5/7/1910 states that the Croydon Hospital
is to be used IN PERPETUITY (for all time) for the purpose of providing medical and surgical
advice and aid for the poor of Felixstowe,Walton and neighbouring districts.
A further plot of land was conveyed to Trustees in 1912 and both documents were
enrolled in the central office of the Supreme Court of Judicature in 1910 and 1912 respectively.
I also copied down Charity Commission reference numbers.
In 1935 a strip of land was donated by one of the trustees, to allow pipes to be laid
to the new extension. This strip of land leads from Felix Road to the hospital in Constable
Road and is noted as being a permanent right of way.
A Deed of Appointment of Trustees (February 1928) calls upon trustees, the Rt.Hon.E.G.Pretyman, Hon.Douglas Tollemache, Percival Albert Croydon, Philip Wyndham Cobbold, Humphrey Mason, Richard Brittain and "their heirs and assigns to upon trust permit the same (land and hospital
building) to be appropriated and used in perpetuity..."
May 1949 Minutes refer to a discussion about the transfer of hospital properties when it was
said of one particular hospital "matters appear to hinge on the point as to whether land was bought
with the intention to use it for hospital purposes." This comment could prove to be
significant so far as the Felixstowe General is concerned.
All funds, Endowments and Deeds of Cottage Hospitals held for safe keeping by
various Bankers were ordered to be released to the then Minister for Health.
There is a need to view sections 6 and 7 of the NHS Act of 1946 although it seems
The Felixstowe General was retained under section 7 because it was an
endowment property Moneys raised at Felixstowe were invested here and abroad..
According to another legal source land donated has to be offered back to the descendants of the
donor before any attempt is made to sell to another party. This information supports the rumour
that should the Felixstowe General be demolished the land would revert to the Croydon
family. Its worth paying attention to what the very senior citizen has to say!
The Freedom of Information Act should allow interested parties to view paperwork proving beyond any shadow of doubt ownership of the land and hospital building in question.
I am sure we would also like to know how it is possible for local NHS managers to ignore legal documents and decisions made by the Judge of a Supreme Court of Judicature.
How, when and where was the decision overturned?