Patients using the former Mineral Water Hospital in Bath’s city centre are now being treated at a new purpose-built rheumatology unit on the main Royal United Hospital site.
Over the week-end many of them joined staff – present and past – in a get-together in the historic old building which is now about to face a different future with plans for its transformation into a luxury hotel.
However, the original Min WILL live on – at least in cyberspace. Bath Newseum has already reported on the 3 D ‘dolls house’ model that’s been made of the building.
It’s also hoped to reconstruct the original John Wood designed General Hospital of 1738-42 in the same manner.
David Canepa – who produced the scan of the Min – has provided a link to a similar model he made for a department at the University of Bath – https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=H8XA2EjMv2B
It is well worth clicking on to see how the model is used to let you ‘float’ through the building and react to stopping points for links to other videos or information about where you are in the building.
Something like this would let you chat with Dr Oliver, John Wood or maybe patients being treated in the hospital.
This cyber experience would be available on a newly refreshed web site for the Bath Medical Museum which is currently without a physical home – following the sale of the Min.
Organisers desperately want to hear from people with memories of the old Min, its staff and patients. Memories and photos are needed.
PLEASE make contact if you can help.
While the Medical Museum is still looking for a permanent home, a bit of a debate has started over whether such a museum should have a much higher profile in the city.
We make out money from Roman remains and Georgian architectural and social history – including Jane Austen of course. But, isn’t there room for a new attraction as a means of bringing even more revenue into the city?
Bath has always been associated with ‘healing waters’ and medical research. Isn’t such a World Heritage city – and spa – the very place to grow a physical site dedicated to medicine and research?
Bath Medical Museum will be looking for funding to pay for its remodelled website and its three dimensional projects but it’s also looking for people with an interest in social/medical history and museums generally.
