Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Hereford

NEW VICTORIA EYE AND EAR HOSPITAL AT HEREFORD  The town of Hereford, like our own town of Swansea has just made a great and successful effort in behalf of persons suffering from diseases of the eye in the district. The foundation stone of a new and magnificeilt hospital was laid at Hereford by the Countess of Chesterfield on Dec. 6th, 1888,  the Queen has ordered the building to be called  The Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital and at the latter end of last month, owing to the inability of the Prince of Wales to be present, the building was opened by Lady Baily with great eclat. The building as now finished, is in first class style, and its elaborate and perfect arrangements have brought the outlay up to about £24,000. But for the generosity of some warm friends of the movement in furnishing the four wards, a considerablv larger sum would have been required. One fact that may be of interest is this-that the architect, Mr. E. H. Lingen Barker, has offices in Goat-street, Swansea, and is well-known to many local residents, the Vicar of Swansea (Canon Smithh Canon Gauntlett, eto. It may not be generally known that Mr. Huleatt (one of the curates of the parish church) is a relative of Mr Lingen Barker. The Council of the Royal Institute of British Architects undertook the selection of a plan, and from among others submitted that of Mr Lingen Barker was selected. This gentleman is well-known as the designer of St. Thomas' Hospital. He is. perhaps the leading authority in hospital architecture, and has also had the satisfaction of seeing the carrying cut both in England and America of many important schemes which he originated. Mr. Barker has been appointed architect to nine school boards in England and Wales, also to many colleges, etc., and in his professional capacity he has superintended the carrying out of nearly 300 buildings of various kinds in 26 different counties, some 18 or more of these being churches, which his low average of only £4 16s 2d. per child for 29 schools from Pembroke in the west. to Kent in the east, is said to beat the record. Mr. Barker, it may be added, is a member of sundry archaeological and learned societies, and is an author of some repute. [The Cambrian 13 September 1889 page 5]