100 Years of Kello Hospital
Display to commemorate the centenary of the Kello Hospital running from Tuesday 5th May – Sunday 10th May 2026.
KELLO HOSPITAL, BIGGAR Simon Linton Kello a local Bank Agent, and his sister Jessie, bequeathed £20,000 for the erection of a hospital prior to the outbreak of the First World War. This was to commemorate their family members who were highly regarded Medical Professionals. The war prevented the Kello Trust from beginning the project but in 1920 a temporary hospital was opened in the Christian Institute. In 1925 the memorial stone of the present building was laid and the hospital was formally opened on 12 November 1926. It was a simply designed building following the established plan for cottage hospitals.
There were initially just nine beds, six on the ground floor and three on the first floor. In 1937 the hospital was extended with the addition of the ward to the west. It provided eight beds for female patients and in the following year a veranda and dayroom were added. In 1967, under the National Health Service, a male ward was added to the east and in 1973 the health centre was built on the adjacent site.
Museum open Tuesday – Saturday 10-5pm and Sunday 1-5pm
