One Last Look Final Event for the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital Project
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August, 11am-4pm, Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry.
| A weekend of theatre, exhibitions and workshops will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August in the empty wards and departments of the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital. The weekend marks the closing of the Hospital and is the culminating event of the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital Project – a project which sought to research and celebrate the history of the hospital in the months leading up to its closure. |
Molly Rogers, Centre for the History of Medicine, has been the Project Co-ordinator for the event, working with other partners including the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and Coventry University.
Part of the project has involved collecting 'memories' of the hospital from former staff members and patients. Interviews were conducted and objects salvaged from the site and these will be exhibited over the weekend.
In addition, theatre company Talking Birds will perform a specially created show 'Three Doctors' where audiences will be taken in groups of twelve on a journey through the deserted building accompanied by voices, music and the ghosts of doctors Arrowsmith, Bourne and Mellor. Nick Walker, writer and performer with Talking Birds said, "A walk through an empty hospital is in itself quite an extraordinary experience, but we hope to heighten this by allowing forgotten stories to drift into the audience’s path." The show will be performed on the half hour and tickets are free.
The weekend will also include workshops which will offer an interactive experience for children of all ages, including opportunities to learn about the history of medicine by handling medical instruments used at the hospital, and to explore the future of medicine by making a necklace of your own DNA!
For more information on the event, download the flyer here 