Time travelling lifts
ArtCare came up with a novel way to display the hospital’s archives and created six time capsules in the patient lifts to help staff, patients and visitors travel back hundreds of years through their history! Topics were chosen based on feedback and the six lifts each have a distinct colour and theme – Nursing, Science and Innovation, Food, Children, Celebrations and History of Salisbury District Hospital.
One of the first visitors to see the new history lift interiors was Jeanne Yates. Her story is featured in the science and technology designs. Read more about Jeanne’s story.
The patient lifts hadn’t changed since first installed and were showing their age. They were being mechanically refurbished so this opportunity was used to create a more welcoming distraction during patient visits. The people using the lifts are often the most unwell, on beds, or children and families with buggies and the interior artwork needed to be colourful as well as an inspiring reflection of Salisbury’s healthcare through the ages.
The tired, shabby lifts are now transformed with the added benefit of making part of Salisbury Hospital’s history collection accessible. As one visitor commented, “I have had a look at the lifts and they are ALL wonderful, it was a great idea. I am sure there will be others that would like to view when they are next at the hospital. I find local history fascinating”.
Lesley Meaker, ArtCare’s history project lead said, ‘There has been a great deal of interest from staff and visitors in our historical archives and without traditional museum display cases we needed to get creative to share our collection.’
ArtCare initially approached Salisbury Hospital League of Friends to support the design work. They agreed funding to research and develop the designs, which helped ArtCare secure the Heritage Lottery Fund award for developing the history archives further.
