Voices Through Corridors is a Heritage Lottery Funded project that explores the heritage of Walsall Manor Hospital from 1930 to the present day.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust has been undergoing a period of vast change. The majority of the old Manor Hospital buildings, including parts which date back to the early 19th Century, have been demolished and replaced with a brand new facility. For many of the staff this has been a time of reminiscence and loss with some having both trained and worked their entire career in the old building. It has also been a time of realisation that within the walls of the building lives its own micro-community, hugely diverse with its heritage forged in representation from all parts of the local community.

Through the collection of Oral Histories the project will unearth stories from the people who have formed part of this diverse and democratic micro-community which has to constantly respond to change. A core set of volunteers will form part of the editorial group, trained by the Oral History Society they will be engaged in capturing interviews which will be made widely available for public access as well as visually transcribed into the fabric of the building.

‘Voices Through Corridors’ stemmed from an initial campaign delivered by the hospital Communications Team in early 2010 entitled ‘Memories of the Manor’. Struck by the reality and detailed descriptions of the stories submitted there was a realisation that the hospital needed to curate its heritage in a different way from that which already exists to enable greater accessibility and an increased audience.