Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
The Firs, Histon, 1909. Chivers women employees during lunch break

The Firs, Histon

History of the Firs

This house was purchased by Chivers and used for welfare services, recreation and evening classes for employees and the local community. Parties visiting the factory in the summer had strawberry teas on the lawn.

Histon Fruit Preserving Factory 1886 OS map

In World War The Firs was used as a hospital. The staff included cooks, the factory doctor, Gwillim Davies, porters, two clergymen, a professional nursing sister and recently qualified VAD Red Cross nurses.

The Firs, Histon: A World War One Convalescent Hospital

During the First World War, communities across Britain stepped forward to support the war effort not only on the frontlines but also at home. One such example is The Firs in Histon, Cambridgeshire, a property that played a small yet significant role in the medical care of soldiers during this global conflict.

The Firs, a substantial residence on Station Road, Histon, dates back to at least the mid-19th century. Originally a private house, it was later associated with the local fruit-processing firm Chivers & Sons. The building had a long-standing presence in the community, and during the early 20th century, it was repurposed several times to serve public needs.

With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 and the subsequent influx of wounded soldiers returning from the front, Britain’s main military hospitals were soon overwhelmed. To alleviate this pressure, the War Office approved the establishment of a network of auxiliary or voluntary aid hospitals across the country. The Firs was one of these.

Used as a convalescent hospital, The Firs provided care for soldiers who were no longer in critical condition but still required rest and supervised recovery before returning to service or civilian life. It served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) hospital, part of the wider network that utilised private homes, schools, and public buildings to offer essential medical care.

According to local records and listings of Cambridgeshire WWI auxiliary hospitals, The Firs operated for part of the war before its role was transferred to the Old Schools in Histon. After the war, the building remained a key site in community life. During the Second World War, it served again in a civil defence capacity and eventually became the village doctor’s surgery in 1978—a role it continues to play.

The story of The Firs illustrates the vital contributions made by rural communities like Histon during World War One. Although it was not a battlefield or a major military centre, its quiet support—housing and healing the wounded—was part of a national tapestry of resilience, compassion, and service. (AI 2025)

In 1914 around 30 Belgian wounded were sent to convalesce at The Firs.

Contribute

Do you have any information about the people or places in this article? If so, then please let us know using the Contact page or by emailing capturingcambridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk.

License

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dear Visitor,

 

Thank you for exploring historical Cambridgeshire! We hope you enjoy your visit.

 

Did you know that we are a small, independent Museum and that we rely on donations from people like you to survive?

 

If you love Capturing Cambridge, and you are able to, we’d appreciate your support today.

 

Every donation makes a world of difference.

 

Thank you,

The Museum of Cambridge