Falkirk & District Royal Infirmary began its existence in 1889 as a cottage hospital – Falkirk Cottage Hospital or Salton Cottage Hospital after the name of the original cottage. Though the cottage was altered and expanded in 1889 and again in 1900, by the end of the First World War the hospital had become so successful and well used that thoughts turned to a more considerable expansion.
As the area surrounding the Cottage Hospital was insufficient for any serious building plans, a new hospital on a new site was begun with the first turf being cut by the Duchess of Montrose in 1926. The finished building was opened by Prince George, Duke of Kent, on 18th January 1930 and a time capsule was buried to mark the occasion.
During building works in 2011, the capsule was dug up and now sits in the NHS Forth Valley Archive at the University of Stirling. Read more about the contents of the time capsule.
(with acknowledgement to the NHS Archivist at the University of Stirling).
