Animal hospital celebrates 100 years

The nation's oldest charitable animal hospital celebrates its centenary on Monday 15 May.

Staff at The Blue Cross animal hospital in Victoria, south west London, have been serving pets - and their owners since its foundation in 1906. Since then the hospital has remained open 24 hours a day, every day for 100 years, with veterinary staff conducting over one million consultations.

Today it provides a lifeline for a diverse mix of pet owners unable to afford private veterinary care.

Built on the site of the Duke of Westminster's stables, the original buildings were well suited to the charity's early equine work, when many businesses depended on the health of their horses for survival. During wartime, hospital staff cared for tens of thousands of animals injured or left homeless during the Blitz, often working by candlelight during night time raids on the capital.

Dick Voigt, director of veterinary services at The Blue Cross, said: This is an important event for The Blue Cross. We celebrate the proud history of a London landmark; but we also celebrate generations of skilled veterinary professionals who have dedicated themselves to helping animals and people in need. Thanks to them, the Blue Cross Victoria animal hospital remains a lifeline for London's animals.

Hospital staff will be celebrating by stepping back in time for the day, with veterinary nurses working dressed in Edwardian uniforms and a mock-up of a 1900s clinic. The day's events will offer clients a fascinating contrast to the cutting edge facilities of The Blue Cross animal hospital's present-day hospital.

Media contact: Sam Roberts
Direct line: 02079324065
Mobile: 07917 132 698


Notes to editors
For interviews with staff or clients, or to attend the centenary celebrations and photocall, please contact 020 7932 4060

To receive historical or contemporary photographs of the Blue Cross Victoria animal hospital, contact 020 7932 4060. Photographs of the centenary celebrations will also be available after the event.

The Blue Cross is Britain's pet charity, providing practical support, information and advice for pet and horse owners. Through its network of animal adoption centres it rehomes thousands of animals each year. Its hospitals provide veterinary care for the pets of people who cannot afford private vets' fees.