'I worked at the Royal Hospital - now I live there'

A former cleaner who now lives in the Wolverhampton hospital building where she used to work, has shared her experiences of what it was like in the site.

The city's Royal Hospital, built in the 19th Century and abandoned decades ago, has been turned into a residential development.

Allison Bird, 63, moved into one of the flats in October, but remembers the building from when she worked in A&E as a cleaner for three years in the early 1980s.

She said: "A lot has changed since I worked here. The old A&E has now gone."

Ms Bird, who was born in the city, said developers had done a "superb job" keeping the old hospital facade with its columns and as many of the original windows as they could.

The chapel room had become a meeting room but still had its stained glass, she said, and the building had been decorated in heritage colours.

Before she worked there in the 80s, her family had grown up using the old hospital, she said.

"My father came here and as children, if we got injured, we'd come here."

Remembering her job in the emergency department, she said cleaners were "treated like surgeons" because of the importance of what they did.

"If you didn't have cleaners, what would the working conditions have been like," she said. "The treatment of lower staff was excellent."

Ms Bird recalled how working in A&E used to be busy and pressurised, but was also supportive. The cleaners did floors and surfaces and other teams took care of bed linen and dealt with any bodily fluids, she said.

"We'd clean the floors, wiping all the surface tops and high points, making sure the side tables were all clean and mopping out," she said.

"A&E was busy. We didn't have time to get to know the patients," she said.

But she remembers how, if she was on shift when people brought in flowers, she would take them and put them in a vase.

Ms Bird moved into a flat there because she wanted to be part of a community, she said, and is now representing other residents.

Living in a former hospital was not "spooky", she said.

"It feels like home. It's so welcoming when you walk in."

After Ms Bird left the hospital, she went on to have a family with five children, and spent time living in Dublin, Rhyll and Liverpool, but eventually came back to Wolverhampton.

The original hospital dated back to 1848 and is one of the city's most iconic and historic structures.

It was founded before the NHS came into being in 1948 and was originally supported by voluntary contributions.

The Grade II listed building was transformed after a collaboration between housing association Walsall Housing Group (whg), City of Wolverhampton Council, Homes England and developer Morro Partnerships.

Developers preserved features of its architectural heritage but the structure now also has air source heat pumps for heating with a reduced carbon footprint and improved energy efficiency.

Now named Nightingale House, the residential scheme offers affordable homes for people aged 55 and over, with a wellbeing officer on site.

The site closed for healthcare after services were transferred to New Cross Hospital in 1997.

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