The ‘Now and Then’ picture is of St Woolos hospital, which was previously Woolaston House and the Newport workhouse.

It became a large general hospital with a maternity ward and specialist TB wards. I did my SRN training there back in 1957 and my dear sister Veronica followed me with her training a year or two later.

On the right hand side was the doctors’ residence and at the front the porter’s lodge. They were very keen and every car was stopped, they could account for everyone who came onto the premises.

They were always kind to our boyfriends though, and my husband remembers being made welcome in their lodge on many occasion to wait while I finished my work. The Springfield unit at the back of the hospital used to be our nurses quarters, and we all used to live in.

Rosemary Emms, Rhiwderin

This week’s Now and Then is a treble, it’s now St Woolos hospital but I think formerly it was a friary before becoming Newport’s workhouse. I think it’s a brilliant hospital. I speak from experience having had a knee replacement there a few years ago.

William Kiff, Cwmbran

The ‘now’ photo is Newport’s St Woolos Hospital. Up until the early 1800s each town or parish was responsible for its own paupers, infirm etc. Newport’s first workhouse was at the top of Stow Hill, the building, now offices, still stands next to what was the Six Bells public house. By the 1880s the new and much bigger Newport Union Workhouse had been opened, it remained a workhouse until the 1940s when it was converted into St Woolos Hospital.

The ‘then’ photo shows the main entrance to the workhouse. On the opposite side of the road stood the Pavilion Theatre and Pavilion Garage from where Gully’s coaches used to operate. The theatre has long since closed.

Dave Woolven, Newport Today’s picture shows an entrance to St Woolos Hospital. I am sure many readers will have memories of their experiences in there. With me, it was back in 1950s as a young nipper for an operation to correct a turn in my left eye.

I had another in the 60s, but as a youngster it was very scary being in a regulated regime which seemed like a POW camp. My operations failed and the only thing that has changed is I no longer wear NHS specs.

Jim Dyer, Newport