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New student accommodation to be named after Bristol’s first Black hospital ward sister
The former Bristol Royal Infirmary building on Marlborough Street is being named after Princess Campbell.
Campbell was Bristol’s first Black ward sister who helped lead the city’s fight against racial discrimination.
Born in Jamaica, Campbell worked as a nurse at Glenside Hospital in Fishponds and received an MBE for services to the community. She died in 2015.
Campbell House, which will have 431 beds when complete, is due to open in summer 2022 when it will become Unite Students’ 15th property in the city.
What Campbell House will look like from Lower Maudlin Street – image: Unite Students
Unite’s original plans were to demolish all of the historic hospital buildings on the site, including a listed Victorian chapel at the rear, but the main building will now be retained and the chapel restored thanks to a campaign by local residents and heritage experts.
Unite Students group development director, Matthew Loughlin, said: “Once complete, Campbell House will be the jewel in the crown of our properties in Bristol.
“The mixed-use development will create unique space, sensitively combining new with old, in a prime city centre location.
“We hope it will become a real asset for both the city of Bristol more widely, and for the local community.”
Work on the site was paused during the early months of the pandemic but restarted in November 2020 – photo: Unite Students
Main photo: Princess Campbell
Read more: Historic chapel on former Bristol Royal Infirmary site saved from demolition
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