An Archaeological Building Recording of the former Railway Servants Orphanage, Stepping Lane, Derby (OASIS ID: archaeol5-226576)
Archaeological Research Services Ltd, 2016. https://doi.org/10.5284/1037309. How to cite using this DOI
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- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1037309
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
In October 2015 Archaeological Research Services Ltd (ARS Ltd.) was commissioned by Simon Foote Architects on behalf of Kieran Mullin to undertake an archaeological building recording of the former Sanatorium building of the Railway Servants Orphanage at Stepping Lane, Derby. The building recording aimed to mitigate the impact of the conversion of the building into a number of residential apartments (Ref: DER/05/15/00608/PRI).
The building was originally designed as a Sanatorium and was constructed in the 1880s. It originally consisted of central ward rooms containing cross-ventilation achieved by opposite rows of tall, narrow windows. The east end may have originally been offices for administration, or nurse’s stations, as the location of the original fireplaces indicate smaller rooms at this end of the building. Later extensions were added to the east and west sides of the original building shortly after its initial construction, between 1884 and 1901. These principally provided kitchens and toilets at either end of the structure, indicating that by 1901 the Sanatorium was probably split according to gender internally, if indeed this was not the original arrangement. The building remained in that state until 1947 when a further room was added to its south side.
The historical research into the building and the main Orphanage suggests that the population of the Orphanage began to fall after War World II, ultimately leading to the demolition of the original Orphanage and its replacement with two smaller structures in 1977. It is not known exactly when the Sanatorium ceased to provide a healthcare function, but it was converted to a school building and, between 1973 and 1999, a conservatory was added to its south side and a lift was added to its north side. The final stage of extension was the addition, between 1999 and 2006, of a further playroom/classroom and toilet on the north side of the building. These last two stages of alteration most likely took place when the building was used as a school. Most recently the building was used as a family centre, but this change of use does not appear to have necessitated any major reconfigurations of the building.
