History
In the beginning
The Centre’s roots date back over a century to the Liverpool Hospital for Cancer and Diseases of the Skin, set up by James Seaton Smythe, a prominent surgeon.
He founded the institution in 1862 and, seven years later, bequeathed the hospital the sum of £10,000. This was the first of many legacies that continue to this day to support our work of caring for cancer patients, research into the cause of the disease and the seeking of a cure.
In 1882 the hospital moved to a new site in Liverpool and was renamed The Radium Institute. The first Roentgen ray apparatus was purchased in 1901 and, gradually, the centre grew to be one of two major radiotherapy centres in north-west England.
An ambitious scheme was proposed in the 1920s to demolish the old hospital and erect a new, eight-floor building devoted to cancer treatment and research. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in November 1931 but, due to World War II and the subsequent foundation of the National Health Service in 1948, it was never finished
In the early 1950s a decision was taken to relocate services away from Liverpool city centre and, after much discussion, Clatterbridge was selected to be the new centre for the development of radiotherapy services.
In Liverpool the Radium Institute, renamed the Liverpool Clinic, became the Regional Centre for Nuclear Medicine, whilst over the water in rural Wirral, the new Regional Radiotherapy Centre was opened on 28 March 1958.