Bristol Royal Infirmary 5.03

The Bristol Royal Infirmary, also known as the BRI, is a large teaching hospital situated in the centre of Bristol, England. It has links with the nearby University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the West of England, also in Bristol. It is currently undergoing a major redevelopment.The BRI is one of eight hospitals within the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. It is located next to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.HistoryThe BRI is one of the oldest Infirmaries in the United Kingdom. A wealthy city merchant, Paul Fisher, was prominent in the foundation of the hospital in 1735. In 1904 Sir George White, who gave Bristol its first electric tramway service and established what was to become the Bristol Aeroplane Company, saved the hospital from debts of over £15,000 by increasing the number of subscribed donors and planning a fundraising carnival at Bristol Zoo. White was appointed president of the hospital in 1906. Recognising the need to modernise the hospital building to keep up with innovations in science and medicine, he established a £50,000 fund to build a new hospital building. As a result, the new Edward VII Memorial Wing designed by Charles Holden was completed in 1912.