Beyond ‘The Village of the Damned’: A Look at Letchmore Heath’s Hidden History
A former nurse shares a fascinating detail about a manor house featured in a recent cultural spotlight.
- Before becoming associated with George Harrison, Piggott’s Manor served a crucial role in nurse training.
- Eighteen-year-old aspiring nurses underwent a rigorous three-month preliminary course at the manor.
- The training emphasized practical skills like bandaging, hygiene, and patient care—often practiced on each other.
- This hands-on approach contrasts sharply with modern university-based nursing education.
The recent discussion surrounding Letchmore Heath, as highlighted in a feature on UK towns vying for a cultural spotlight, omitted a significant piece of the area’s history. While the location is known as the filming site for ‘The Village of the Damned’ and later as the home of George Harrison, Piggott’s Manor previously functioned as the preliminary training school for St Bartholomew’s Hospital in Smithfield, London.
For three months, 18-year-old hopefuls learned the fundamentals of nursing before working with actual patients. The curriculum was intensely practical, encompassing skills like applying bandages, administering bed baths, and even changing bed sheets with a “patient” still in the bed—a skill honed by practicing on one another. Aspiring nurses also practiced giving injections using oranges, learned to present food attractively, and, crucially, mastered the art of cleaning.
Following this initial three-month period, trainees spent two years and nine months on hospital wards, completing their apprenticeships with increasingly complex responsibilities. This immersive, hands-on approach represents a considerable shift from today’s nurse training, which is largely based in universities and clinical placements.
What was the primary focus of the preliminary nurse training at Piggott’s Manor? The training prioritized practical skills essential for patient care, including hygiene, bandaging, and basic medical procedures.
Dr. Liz Rolls-Firth
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
