Historical information

In 1977, artist Annette Meikle undertook a commission to illustrate a book recording stories of places and people in the Bayside area. It was published in 1978 as Sandringham Sketchbook, with text by Elizabeth Waters. The sketches were intended to record remaining examples of Bayside’s early architecture and environment, as well as reflect newer architectural changes. Meikle went on to donate 22 of these sketches to Bayside City Council in 2003.
Tasmanian architect J.H. Esmond Dorney developed this ground-breaking design for the Sandringham Hospital, which opened in 1964. Dorney had spent significant time recuperating in hospital in the post-war years and developed a special interest in hospital design.
The hospital included circular wings with nurses’ stations at the hub and wards radiating outwards like spokes on a wheel. The hospital included 100 beds, two operating theatres and four delivery rooms and baby nurseries. Each ward of two to four beds had its own bathroom, and featured wide windows with garden views. The design was considered radical at the time and was copied as far afield as England and the United States.