| Description | This collection documents the proceedings of the Convalescent Home Stillorgan. It is organised into two series, the first series contains eight volumes of minute books ranging from c.1912-2004. The second series contains financial documents ranging from c.1865-2010, it is organised into seven sections including a subseries of seven volumes of annual report books, a stock and properties book, a statement of accounts book, a file containing a book of receipts and a book of payments, patient finances which include a residents book, list of subscribers, and a grants books, a subseries of annual accounts and a file containing wages and petty cash books. |
| History | The Convalescent Home Stillorgan was a respite institution founded in Dublin in 1862 by Sir Joseph Napier and his wife Lady Napier. The home was established to provide a place of rest and recovered for those of limited means and of all religious denominations. In 1870, the home saw the addition of the Berwick Wing, named after the honorable judge Berwick who sat as chair of the management committee for a short time.
The institution was originally intended to house and care for patients at no cost for a minimum period of two weeks, however in 1886 the facility saw the introduction of the 'Napier Memorial Wing' which would allow patient who could afford it to pay a small weekly fee for more privacy and better accommodation.
The institution experienced a small fire in 1895, by the time authorities arrived the fire had been extinguished. In 1905 the home expanded further with the building of the Sunshine Home, which was funded by Frederick Coddington Pilkington, who left 10,000 pounds for the home in his will. During World War One the majority of the institution was used as an auxiliary military hospital to house wounded and recovering soldiers and in 1911 an annex was issued to provide twelve more beds in the facility.
A Royal Charter was granted to the home in 1918 by George V. In 1957, the home sought to expand further, however the Royal Charter limited them. This lead to The Convalescent Home Stillorgan (Charter Amendment) Act of 1958 which permitted the extension of the institution, and allowed for the alternative use of capital funds, and the occasional alteration of the Charter regarding charitable subscriptions, donations, and bequests.
In 1964 the original property on Brewery road in Stillorgan county Dublin was sold to the Dominican Sisters of Charity, and became St. Joseph's House for Adult Deaf and Deafblind, as a residence and school for the deaf, which is what it remains to this day.
The Convalescent Home Stillorgan is a separate institution to the Linden Convalescent Home.
The business itself still exists today as Footsteps Care located in Unit C1 Nutgrove Office Park, Nutgrove Avenue, Rathfarnam, Dublin 14. While it is no longer an in-patient facility, it continues to operate as a charity which awards one-time grants to patients to aid their return to independent living. |