AHRC-Funded PhD: Finding the Child-Patient Experience at Stannington Sanatorium

Ryan Fallon is reusing existing oral history interviews held at Northumberland Archives alongside conducting new interviews, exploring experiences of childhood among working-class patients at Stannington in the 1940s to 1960s. His work incorporates insights from: childhood and youth studies, disability history, tuberculosis history, memory studies, and the history of emotions. 

Situated near Morpeth, Stannington was England’s first tuberculosis sanatorium designed especially for children. Other projects have used the hospital as a site of research, but the voices of its patients have yet to be addressed from a methodological standpoint. Ryan’s project considers the perspective of the child patient, often overlooked within discourses around the patient experience. Ryan takes a life history approach to interviews. His project also makes use of archival materials held at Northumberland Archives, including patient case notes and a matron’s diary. 

Ryan’s project is a Collaborative Doctoral Award between the Northern Bridge Consortium DTP and Northumberland Archives.

Last modified: Sat, 23 May 2026 16:38:01 BST