More from our camera club outing in Saltaire...
This is 'Matron Sarah Turner', the first matron of Sir Titus Salt's Hospital, which was set up in 1868 to provide medical services to workers at Salts Mill who were injured at work. It later expanded to provide treatment for those in the local community. Matron was a 'Nightingale Nurse', trained at St Thomas' Hospital in London in accordance with the philosophy and practice of the founder of nurse training there, Florence Nightingale. She seemed a very no-nonsense character, as you might imagine an old-style matron to be. She says her mantra is 'to purge or not to purge'! She was quite willing to dole out the laudanum, as you can tell!
In real life, Sheila is an actor and singer, and also plays historical roles as 'Mrs Moore', the mill manager's wife at Bradford Industrial Museum, and 'Frances Tempest', wife of Sir Richard Tempest, Colonel in the Royalist Army during the English Civil War 1642-1649, who lived at Bolling Hall in Bradford.
From what I've heard about hospital matrons, she looks a lot too friendly!
ReplyDeleteGreat portraits of your Nightingale nurse!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun!
ReplyDeleteFabulous.
ReplyDeleteVery expressive.
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