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
Cinderella
The Babes In The Wood
Sleeping Beauty
Puss In Boots
Little Bo Peep
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Boy Blue
Little Jack Horner
Little Miss Muffet
Old King Cole
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and Jill
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.
