Hidden Healers project seeks memories of Derry's St. Columb’s Hospital

St Columb’s Park Reconciliation Trust is searching for photos, letters and other artefacts from Derry's St. Columb's Hospital as part of the new Our Hidden Healers: The Untold Heritage Beyond the Walls heritage project.

Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the £177,000 project will explore the hidden history of healing which has long been connected to the house and parklands of St Columb's Park House.

The project was launched at St. Columb's Park House last Friday night.

It will cover the on-site holy wells, the concept of the land as a healer, the use of the 18th Century manor house and grounds during the Second World War and its time as home for nurses who worked in St. Columb’s Hospital.

Grace Nelis, Project Co-ordinator for Our Hidden Healers: The Untold Heritage Beyond the Walls project at St. Columb’s Park House, said: “We would encourage people to come forward with stories and artefacts from this time to help us preserve such an important part of our city's history which has remained largely untold.

“St. Columb's Hospital, the people who worked there and the patients who often spent long periods there have played a huge role in shaping the city, but barely nothing from it remains today.

“We still have time to preserve some of these memories first hand, so we would urge people to come forward and share your stories with us. Just because it only happened 70 years ago, doesn't mean that it's not important history worth recording!

“Maybe you have kept some of a family member's memories in a box and didn't realise how important they would be in helping us to tell this story, like a collection of photos that we kindly received from a lady whose husband worked at St Columb's Hospital.

“Or video footage that we were given from Christmas Day at St. Columb's Hospital 1980 - painting the most fabulous picture of life then.”

Dr Jim McGreevy, Northern Ireland Committee Member for The National Lottery Heritage Fund welcomed the start of the heritage project. “We’re delighted to support St Columb’s Park Reconciliation Trust with this interesting heritage project that will collect and preserve the hidden history of healing that has to date been unexplored.

“The funding will engage with many community groups, educating and animating the built and natural heritage at St Columb’s Park. It will also be used to employ a part time project co-ordinator to lead the project and organise future opportunities for people to undertake workshops and experience performances and art that bring to life past inhabitants of the house.

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“A series of walking routes will also be developed, and a medicinal garden will be created using heritage planting and tools. We would encourage anyone with a personal or family connection to get involved with sharing stories and artefacts.”

To get involved Our Hidden Healers: The Untold Heritage Beyond the Walls project, call in to St. Columb's Park House or send Grace Nelis an email at grace@stcolumbsparkhouse.org. Follow the progress and find out about future events on their Facebook page, facebook.com/stcolumbsparkhouse.