Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children was a hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, specialising in paediatric healthcare. Locally, it was commonly referred to simply as the "Sick Kids". The hospital provided emergency care for children from birth to the 13th birthday, including a specialist Accident and Emergency facility. Some in patient specialties will see children up to the 16th birthday. The hospital was located on Sciennes Road in the Sciennes area of Edinburgh's South Side and was managed by NHS Lothian.
History.
The hospital, which opened at 7 Lauriston Lane in 1860, was the first dedicated children's hospital in Scotland. It received a royal charter in 1863, when it moved to the Meadowside House. The conversion of the house into a hospital was carried out by the architect David Macgibbon. In 1890 an outbreak of typhoid forced a temporary removal to Plewlands House, Morningside, and Meadowside House was subsequently sold. The site of the Trades Maiden Hospital (established by Mary Erskine) at Rillbank was bought in the early 1890s, and plans for a new hospital were put in hand to designs by George Washington Browne. The Sciennes Road building cost £50,000 was opened on 31 October 1895 by Princess Beatrice. It joined the National Health Service in 1948.
In February 2015 construction work began on the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People at Little France which will replace the current hospital.
In December 2016 the existing site was offered for sale as a development opportunity with the expectation of significant interest. In September 2017 NHS Lothian decided to sell the site to the Downing Group, a Liverpool-based property developer.
The Royal Hospital for Sick Children closed on 23 March 2021.
Fundraising.
In 2011, 6-year old Jack Henderson started an initiative to raise money for the hospital that cared for his brother, by selling drawings he had created. He originally planned to raise £100, but quickly raised £10,000. A book, "Jack Draws Anything", was published in October 2011. After 3 years the fundraising total exceeded £64,000 and the project was brought to an end in June 2014.
Architecture of the Sciennes Site.
Some of the buildings that make up the hospital at the Sciennes Road site have listed building status designated by Historic Environment Scotland. 