Catherine-de-Barnes Isolation Hospital

In 1907, a "fever hospital" was established as a joint operation of the Solihull and Meriden Councils for isolating patients with infectious diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid fever and smallpox.^[1] A purpose-built isolation hospital was built by Solihull and Meriden Rural District Councils in Henwood Lane, Catherine-de-Barnes, and opened by 1910.^[2] It was constructed with a main block housing individual one-bed wards and several separate bungalow-style buildings, enough to house ten staff and 16 patients.^[3]

In the 1950s, when infectious diseases became less prevalent, Catherine-de-Barnes became a convalescent maternity hospital,^[3] with the first child apparently being born there on 25 March 1953.^[2]

Following the building of the maternity block at Solihull Hospital, Catherine-de-Barnes reverted to an isolation hospital.^[3] It was designated the United Kingdom's national isolation hospital in 1966 and was kept on permanent standby for patients with highly dangerous diseases.^[2] From the late 1960s to the late 1970s, the hospital was ready to accept patients at one hour's notice but had a resident staff of only two people, Leslie and Dorothy Harris. Anyone who wished to enter the 20 acre hospital grounds had to wear protective clothing and be inoculated.^[3]

In 1978, Janet Parker, the last known victim of smallpox in the world, was treated and died at Catherine-de-Barnes Isolation Hospital following an outbreak that originated at the University of Birmingham Medical School.^[1][2] The ward in which she died was still sealed off five years after her death, all the furniture and equipment inside left untouched.^[3] Janet Parker's father, 71-year-old Frederick Witcomb, had died at Catherine-de-Barnes Hospital a week before his daughter after he had suffered a cardiac arrest while visiting her. No post-mortem was carried out on his body because of the risk of smallpox infection.^[3][4]