Bristol student halls named after city’s first black hospital sister

Princess Campbell became the first black ward sister in Bristol and innovated and excelled in the role

An old hospital site that is being transformed into student flats is to be named after a city's first black hospital ward sister.

The former Bristol Royal Infirmary site will be named after Princess Campbell, who helped lead the city's fight against racial discrimination.

The £45m Campbell House will have 431 student beds when complete and is due to open in summer 2022.

The hospital building is being restored for residential and community use.

Ms Campbell challenged prejudice in nursing and housing in Bristol after she arrived from Jamaica in 1962.

She trained as a nurse and became the city's first black ward sister, working at Glenside Hospital in Fishponds. She received an MBE for services to the community in 2011. She died in 2015.

The Georgian frontage of the old Bristol Royal Infirmary will remain

Drone footage shows progress of building work on the site in the heart of Bristol city centre

The site was bought by Unite Students in 2015 but hundreds of people signed petitions against plans to turn it into student accommodation and the council rejected two applications.

Planning permission was later granted in February 2020.

Group development director at Unite Students, Matthew Loughlin, said: "Once complete, Campbell House will be the jewel in the crown of our properties in Bristol.

"We hope it will become a real asset for both the city of Bristol more widely, and for the local community."

Under the developer's revamped plans the existing hospital building will be used for private flats and student accommodation will be housed in new tower blocks.

The ground floors will be designated for commercial use and a new landscaped public route will run through the site.

The new tower blocks will be close to the city’s main hospital, bus station, and central shopping area