| Description | The subfonds contains records of the Social Society including minutes, financial records and photographs. In addition the subfonds contains material relating to dramatic and musical performances organised by the Social Society and files relating to the running of the Nurses Recreation Centre (also known as the Three Feathers Club). There is also a folder containing records relating to the valuation and insurance of the Social Society trophy collection, which were transferred into the custody of the Royal London Archives in 1992.
In addition the subfonds contains records relating to the London Nurses' Lawn Tennis Association and Inter-Hospital Swimming Association, which were inter-hospital sports clubs in which the Royal London played a significant role. The records of each association include minutes, financial Records, membership lists and photographs relating to sporting events. |
| Administrative history | The London Hospital Social Society was created in 1950 following the decision to re-constitute the earlier Nurses' Sports Club, which had organised tennis and swimming events at the Royal London Hospital. The newly created Social Society introduced elections to determine its senior members and expanded its remit to entail non-sports related recreational activities, including running the Nurses' Recreation Centre, also known as The Three Feathers Club. The Social Society had overall responsibility for the Nurses' Lawn Tennis Association and the Inter-Hospital Nurses' swimming association, although these associations retained separate financial accounts and had their own Executive Committees. Both of these associations organised inter-hospital events, and their membership comprised nursing staff from hospitals including the Royal London, Barts, Guys, Middlesex and Kings.
The Three Feathers Club was also known as the Nurses' Recreation Centre, and was located at 71 Varden Street on the London Hospital site, c1970-1990, in a building owned by the hospital (and from 1974 by the Special Trustees of the London Hospital).
The club was named after the Three Feathers Tavern in Cheapside where the hospital came into being in 1740 when John Harrison, a surgeon, and six other men decided to start the Infirmary.
The Lawn Tennis Association was wound up in 1986 and the Inter-Hospital Nurses' Swimming Association was wound up in 1992 . |