A Tesco superstore where thousands of people now shop has a poignant history that many people won't know.
The Tesco superstore on Telegraph Road in Heswall, Wirral, had a very important role throughout the 20th century before it was turned into the supermarket that stands there today.
In 1902, the building was opened as a children's hospital and was used to treat children for Tuberculosis (TB). The disease was known as "consumption" at the time due to symptoms including weight loss, and was common among younger people who inhaled tiny droplets from the coughs and sneezes of an infected person.
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The hospital stood exactly where the Tesco stands today, but the building looked very different. The most notable feature was that the three levels of wards where TB patients were treated had a wall completely missing, with a low gate in its place instead.
This was designed specifically so that patients always had fresh air which was believed to cure TB. Nowadays, the infection is treated with antibiotics and a vaccine is available, but in Britain in the 20th century, the BCG vaccine wasn’t available until after World War II.
This meant that hospitals like the one in Heswall were vital for treating infected patients, as many people who caught TB sadly died. Before the vaccine arrived on our shores, it was advised prolonged exposure to clean air was one of the best ways to cure TB.
The infection was rife in cities and towns like Liverpool and Birkenhead, so the Heswall location would have been ideal due to being in a rural area and close to the Dee Estuary. The hospital continued to look after children until 1940 when they were evacuated due to the Germans bombing Merseyside.
In the 1950s, the children’s hospital became the Cleaver Sanatorium and looked after adult patients. It closed in 1983 and the majority of the building was demolished. What was left of the site was later turned into the Tesco superstore that stands there today.
What are your memories of the former Heswall hospital? Let us know in the comments section below.
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