Planning, design and Construction of The Main Ward Block (c1964-1975)

This page tells the remarkable story of the planning, design and construction of The Main Ward Block. The Main Ward Block stood from 1974 to 2003 facing the main hospital car park which was accessed from Brunswick Road. The towerblock could be accessed through the annexes along Wessex Street.

Planning and design c1964-1971
In about 1964 the Norwich Health Authority felt the N&N Hospital needed expansion. They planned a 14 storey Main Ward Block to be opened by 1972. In 1968, Feilden & Mawson, local architects set to work designing the new Main Block, later reduced to 11 storeys, which would have the "podium block" underneath, which was the ground and first floors with corridors linked to other parts of the hospital. In 1968 and 1969 Michael Everitt, a local architect, designed the new Main Block, the main 8 floors of wards were to have the same layout while the top floor to have private rooms and the ground and first floor were part of the annexes of the MWB. Floors 2 to 9 were to have the same floor space, smaller than the ground floor and first floor space. Construction was delayed due to finance but in early 1971 the new £5 million Main Ward Block was ready for construction, after 6 years planning.

Construction and commissioning period 1971-1975
The land which the towerblock was to be built on was cleared, several terraced houses near the land was demolished, including nearby Crooks Place, to make way for the new ward block. In 1971 construction started. It took 3 years to build the MWB. Steel trusses arrived on site and added to the framework then the concrete and reinforcement steel inbetween each floors were laid. The lifts installed, stairwells built, and then the building wired to The National Grid.

By March 1973, about two thirds of the Main Ward Block had been built:- see this image taken on 20th March 1973. https://imsvintagephotos.com/products/hospitals-norfolk-norwich-exterior-vintage-photograph-1151798?_pos=173&_sid=89242464b&_ss=r

From the above photo, taken in March 1973, you can see all of the main floors had been added, and about half of the bottom half of the building had been added.

Sometime in 1974, perhaps late 1974, the 11 storey Main Ward Block was completed. In March 1975 a 6 month commissioning period started. The was to get the building ready for usage. This involved installing equipment, such as floor mounted units and transporting beds up to the wards, probably through the lifts, and adding shelving in the store rooms and medicine rooms, then installing the units on the kitchen on each floor along the service corridor.

September 1975 saw the first occupancy of the brand new MWB.