Evelina Hospital Nursery Rhyme Tiles
Walk through the long corridor at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London and you’ll find a stunning collection of Doulton tiles painted with scenes from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. The tiles were originally commissioned around 1900 for the Evelina Children’s Hospital, now located on the same site as St Thomas’ Hospital.
Table of Contents
Text from the information panel alongside the tiles
Collection of Doulton Tile Panels c. 1900
The collection of nursery rhyme and fairy tale panels which are all displayed along this route to the Evelina Children’s Hospital were all originally in ‘Lilian’ and ‘Seymour’ wards, opened in 1901 and 1903 respectively. They were produced by Doultons of Lambeth (now known as Royal Doulton) by designers Margaret Thompson and William Rowe and John H McLennan. Each of the panels is hand painted and you can see that a number of different artistic styles and palettes have evolved during production.
The panels were produced in response to the extensive hospital building and improvement schemes which commenced in the late 1870’s. The creation of special children’s hospitals and wards and the recognition that tiles were hygienic and that the nursery rhymes and fairy tales could be used to amuse and cheer young patients led to a number of hospital commissions. More than a century later the principle of using art to improve the environment is one which Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity is committed to.
Maintained by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity
Dick Whittington and His Cat
Dick Whittington entrusts his cat to the captain
Turn again Whittington
Thrice honoured citizen
Sir Richard Whittington
Lord Mayor of London
Wikipedia
Little Bo Peep
Little Bo-Peep
She lost her sheep,
And did’nt know
where to find them
has lost her sheep.
Let them alone, and
they’ll come home,
And bringing their tails
behind them.
Wikipedia
Little Red Riding Hood
The gift of Charles Hunt
“Good morning Red Riding Hood” said the Wolf.
“Where are you going?”
Pull the bobbin and the latch will go up
The gift of Benjamin I Greenwood
The rescue of little Red Riding Hood and death of the Wolf.
Wikipedia
Little Boy Blue
Little Jack Horner
Little Miss Muffet
Old King Cole
Little Boy Blue,
Come blow your horn.
The sheep’s in the meadow,
The cow’s in the corn.
Where is the boy
Who looks after the sheep?
He’s under the haystack,
Fast asleep.
Will you wake him?
No, not I,
For if I do,
He’ll sure to cry.
Wikipedia
Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, “What a good boy am I!” Wikipedia
Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey;
There came a big spider,
Who sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away. Wikipedia
Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh, there’s none so rare, as can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three. Wikipedia
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack climbers the beanstalk
Wikipedia
Jack arrives at the Giant’s Castle
Jack runs away with the Golden Harp
Jack the Giant Killer
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down
And Broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Wikipedia
Link Corridor
In the corridor leading from behind Accident & Emergency to the Evelina Children’s Hospital, there are more tiles of a different style. Some have the animals painted normally and some with human features such as the hen with an umbrella under her wing.
Located at Guys’ Hospital
On the third floor of the Southwark Wing next to audiology, there are more tiles on display in the waiting area.
Little Bo-Peep
Little Miss Muffet
Little Boy Blue
