History

The “Warwick Dispensary for the sick and poor of Warwick and its neighbourhood” had been founded in 1826. It relied on public subscription and the proceeds of an annual charity ball. The Warwick Provident Sick Association was founded in addition in 1857, probably by the Revd. E. T. Smith, Vicar of St. Paul’s, and was known after 1859 as the Warwick Provident Dispensary.

It was originally a scheme for working people in St. Paul’s parish; workers with an annual income of less than £8 paid 1d. each week, but the fund also relied on larger subscriptions from the more opulent.

A branch was formed in Emscote in 1864. These two organisations were amalgamated in 1871 and a limited number of beds was made available in the Castle Street premises.

By 1900 there were five beds and a crib, and the average number of in-patients was about 50. The Dispensary ceased to function in 1948 on the introduction of the National Health Service. However, it became a Doctor’s Surgery until it closed in 2008 when it was sold for use as a private dwelling house.

The Warwick Provident Dispensary Charity is regulated by a Scheme dated 24th March 1969 issued by the Charity Commission.