Ian Handford: One of our great public health benefactors

Ella and Violet WILLS were rich following the death of their father Sir Edward Payson Wills - a partner in the tobacco business which emerged as one of the Worlds largest businesses The Imperial Tobacco Company.

It was in 1912 Ella (Rowcroft via marriage) would come to live with her sister Violet at Barcombe Hall in Paignton and after the end of the First World War they both moved to purchase Pilmuir Villa in 1920 a large property situated near Torre Station off Avenue Road. This Georgian residence had once been owned by Lord Sinclair.  It was an era when every Local District Health Authority was actually struggling to meet its obligations to the sick and dying as populations constantly grew.

With Torbay's population haaving doubled in the twenty years to 1891 it doubled again by 1901 and was still growing. Torquay's authority was desperate to build a new hospital but as today the question arose - where was the money to be found. Todays National Health Service was twenty years distant and all funding of Health Services then fell on local taxes and voluntary contributions. Torquay operated a Voluntary Hospital Service whereby all patients paid a penny a week when over 14 and two pennies for each child - provided the parents were part of the main subscription scheme. Torquay was thus ahead of some authorities but if subscriptions were left unpaid all access to help was denied unless an individual was so ill they might get help if three shillings was instantly found.  Even then should the patient survive they still had to agree to permanently subscribe. The rules were strictly enforced and had penalties for non-payment.

In the 1920's Mrs Rowcroft and Violet then decided to employ a hospital architect following Major Kitson's donation of a building site - Hengrave House. Ella quickly created a Hospital Building Fund as Sir Mortimore Singer (a famous benefactor) promised money providing others gave, so that a new hospital now seemed assured. In following her sisters lead Violet even added £6500 for use in the purchase of early radium equipment for the new hospital.

To get Hengrave House Hospital built Mrs Rowcroft donated  (as expressed by a contemporary) - a gift of such magnificence it was never before equalled in Torquay. A staggering £100,000 pounds was given (£millions today) with a formal letter setting out her conditions "In offering my gift I do so subject to your committee undertaking that they will NOT relax their efforts to raise further monies (now how visionary was that) and that they will do all in their power to obtain the further funds required for the equipment and furnishings and also a substantial amount (estimated at £30,000) for the foundation of the Endowment Fund". Ella finally added one extra condition - that no vivisection or cognate treatment would be permitted in perpetuity, it still applies today.

With the foundation stone laid on June 23rd 1926 the hospital was open by September 1928 when patients were transferred from Castle Chambers Hospital in Higher Union Street to the new Torbay Hospital. By now Ella ha been made a Freeman of Torquay and had built her new home adjacent to Pilmuir - "The Rainbow". Later this would be donated to the Authority in memory of her parents and in commemoration of the Coronation of George V1 in 1937.  Pilmuir became Torbays first convalescent home (yet still exclusively for women0. It opened in 1939 and survived until 1975 and before being left derelict until an initiative by Torquay Lions Club reopened it as Rowcroft Hospice in 1981.

Mrs Rowcroft left her remaining wealth to Violet when dying on January 26th 1941 and it then took 47 years before my predecessor Mrs Hocking erected a Blue Plaque to honour her in 1988. Today this may still be viewed if visiting Rainbow House which now accommodates male and female patients.