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Princess Margaret Hospital

Completed in 1959, Princess Margaret Hospital, situated at 95 Cashmere Road, continued to serve patients until December 2024.

Princess Margaret Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital. Photographer (pht): Sarah Snelling, Contributor (ctb): Sarah Snelling. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

At a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (NCHB) on 24 June 1925, Henry Herbert Holland, a board member, proposed that a subsidiary hospital be established to cater for chronic and long-term patients, allowing the Christchurch Hospital to act as a casualty hospital.

Cashmere was first proposed as a site for a subsidiary hospital when, in June 1926, the NCHB considered accepting an offer of 88 acres of land situated on a spur near Marley’s Hill from the Selwyn Plantation Board. However, by October, it was decided that the site was not suitable. 

The proposal to construct a subsidiary hospital was approved at a meeting of the NCHB on 26 May 1937. In 1938, the NCHB purchased 17 acres of land from the Cashmere Estate at a site on Cashmere Road situated between Hackthorne Road and the Cashmere Plantation. The land was then leased for grazing. 

In October 1938, the board advertised its plans to host a competition for architects to submit potential designs for the new hospital at Cashmere. The design proposed by the Auckland architectural firm, Gummer and Ford, was chosen in April 1939. The design showed a modernist building with two protruding wings. However, it was noted that the design would be subject to alteration. 

By March 1940, the NCHB still intended to proceed with the construction. However, by June, the disruption caused by the outbreak of the Second World War delayed any plans. To meet the potential overflow of additional patients caused by the war, it was decided to focus on Burwood Hospital. 

At a meeting held in July 1945, the NCHB decided to resume its plans for the hospital at Cashmere with the intention for it to act as a new general hospital. In August, Stewart William Minson, an employee of Gummer and Ford who had been appointed as the architect for the NCHB in October 1940, resigned. In his place, Allan Harry Manson was appointed to oversee architectural work for the NCHB.

By March 1946, the NCHB had approved a proposal to construct the hospital in one stage with a capacity for 540 beds. New architectural plans for the hospital were approved in October 1946, by the Minister of Health, Arnold Henry Nordmeyer. A sketch by the architect, published in November, showed that the building was to consist of a main axis, which ran north to south, with projecting wings on the east and west. With each wing being seven floors in height, there was a focus on verticality, as this allowed for a shorter distance between the departments. The proposed building was to be built from reinforced concrete to assist with earthquake protection. The plans were modified by February 1947, to allow for a building with five floors.

Two additional acres of land adjoining the site were purchased by May 1947. In February 1948, the site was levelled to prepare for construction. However, by July, the architectural plans for the building had not proceeded past the initial sketch designs. In June 1949, the NCHB appointed the firm, Manson, Seward, and Stanton, which had been established in 1947 by Allan Harry Manson, Robert John Seward, and T. M. Stanton, to oversee all of the board's architectural projects.

By June 1951, the NCHB accepted the recommendation given by the Health Department for the hospital to be a subsidiary of Christchurch Hospital and not a general hospital. 

After advertising tenders for the construction of the hospital, the tender of construction firm, C. S. Luney Ltd, was accepted by March 1952. In August, it was proposed that the hospital be named the Royal Cashmere Hospital.

The foundation stone was laid on 16 October 1953, by the Governor-General, Sir Willoughby Norrie. The hospital officially opened on 31 August 1959 as the Princess Margaret Hospital. 

The hospital was designed on modern approaches to health care. The final design for the building was inspired by Dutch Modernism, in particular, the work of Willem Marinus Dudok. The building consisted of a central building from which two north facing wings protruded. To the east was an extension with a curved facade. To the south of this extended another wing, on an angled north-south axis. This was adjoined at the southern end by another wing running on an east-west axis and parallel to the central building. Another wing, adjoining the eastern facade of the extension with the curved facade was intended to be constructed but this never eventuated. To accommodate staff, a nurses' hostel was situated to the south of the main hospital block.

Foundations for a single storey, geriatric ward, situated to the west of the original building, were laid in February 1970. This was completed in October 1971. At the same time, a hexagonal chapel was constructed. This was completed and handed over to the hospital on 29 April 1972. 

A psychiatric unit, known as C Block, was constructed to the east of the main hospital building. This was officially opened in June 1976.

Although it was at the forefront of hospital design when it was constructed in the 1950s, by the 2000s the building was considered outdated. In 2009, there were proposals to shift the majority of its services to Burwood. 

During the aftermath of the 22 February 2011 earthquake, the hospital provided facilities for patients who were unable to reach Christchurch Hospital due to damaged roads.

The hospital continued to offer mental health care services, including care for those with intensive mental health disorders and services for children and young people. The hospital also cared for people with eating disorders and mothers with babies. 

After 6 December 2024, the hospital no longer received patients.

References

Docomomo New Zealand. Princess Margaret Hospital.

For the Future, Star, Issue 17572, 24 June 1925, p.7.

More Land for Hospital Board, Star, Issue 17880, 23 June 1926, p.5.

A Hospital on the Hills, Star, Issue 17881, 24 June 1926, p.8.

Site for Subsidiary Hospital, Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22335, 24 February 1938, p.14.

New Subsidiary Hospital, Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22687, 17 April 1939, p.10.

Illustration, Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22695, 27 April 1939, p.8.

Hospital Board Architect, Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23154, 18 October 1940, p.8.

New Hospital Plans, Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23405, 12 August 1941, p.8.

New Hospital at Cashmere, Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24628, 26 July 1945, p.4.

Building Plans for Hospital, Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24652, 23 August 1945, p.6.

New Hospital at Cashmere, Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24995, 2 October 1946, p.5.

New Cashmere Hospital, Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 25045, 29 November 1946, p.8.

New Hospital at Cashmere, Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25198, 31 May 1947, p.4.

New Cashmere Hospital, Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25560, 30 July 1948, p.9.

New Cashmere Hospital, Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25738, 25 February 1949, p.8.

Hospital Board Architects, Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25837, 23 June 1949, p.3.

New Psychiatric Unit, Press, 23 June 1976, p.3.

The axe hovers over PMH, Press, 23 November 2009, p.A1.
 

Construction of Princess Margaret Hospital, view of Christchurch from Port Hills

Page 29 of photo album. Top left: Exterior of Princess Margaret Hospital in Cashmere under construction. Top right: Exterior view of Princess Margaret Hospital while under construction. Handwritten...

Chapels at Princess Margaret Hospital

[Frame 3] Construction of the new purpose built chapel at Princess Margaret Hospital. [Frames 4 to 8] The current chapel at Princess Margaret Hospital, a foyer, which is often disrupted by guests at...