News / social history
Exploring the lives of Black nurses in 1960s
A new project funded by Historic England highlights the experiences of nurses who worked at Glenside Hospital in Stapleton during the 1960s.
Formerly focused on therapeutic treatment, the hospital also acted as a training school for nurses, which still runs today.
The project, titled ‘Answering the Call’, reflects on the experiences of nurses who came to the UK from Commonwealth nations to address shortfalls in labour after the second world war.
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Using a collection of oral histories, photographs and donated materials, the project hopes to bring communities together to reflect on their experiences.
Tanner, who came by boat from Barbados, worked at Glenside Hospital during the 1960s
One story captured through the project is that of May Tanner, who came by boat from Barbados and trained as a psychiatric nurse in the early 1960s.
During her time at Glenside, Tanner took part in psychiatry training. She said: “It’s taught me a lot doing psychiatry because you got then to knowing people, to get into them”.
Coming to Bristol as a Black woman, Tanner struggled with discrimination.
“At times, the other Bristolians, they were very withdrawn from us you know,” she reflected. “They didn’t want you to touch, as though you were an alien from somewhere.”
Answering the Call will feature embroidered works to commemorate the Windrush Generation’s contributions to the NHS
As part of Glenside’s therapeutic practices, sewing was encouraged as part of mental health recovery.
For the project, volunteers have sewn quotes from nurses onto old uniforms at the Glenside Hospital Museum, marking the stories and experiences of NHS nurses.
These uniforms, along with other archival materials, will be exhibited at the museum in December 2023.
All photos: Historic England
Read next:
- Bristol artist designs 50p coin to mark Windrush anniversary
- ‘The Windrush Generation were tempted by streets paved with gold’
- Remembering the road severed in half by the M32
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