Scotland in the First World War: the homes that became hospitals to support the war effort

In this week’s episode, released on Armistice Day 2022, Jackie is looking at a small but crucial part of the First World War effort: the stately homes that were requisitioned to become hospitals. In particular, she’s keen to find out how the National Trust for Scotland’s Pollok House was used at this time.

The property in the south of Glasgow became an auxiliary hospital and helped to treat wounded soldiers throughout the conflict. Harriet Richardson Blakeman, an architectural historian with a special interest in hospitals, joins Jackie to discuss how Pollok and properties like it were converted into make-shift hospitals.

Jackie discovers who benefitted from the hospitals, what steps were taken to ensure the best healthcare possible was being provided, and what happened to these new hospitals at the end of the war.