5 March 2026 Lunch
Alison has researched the little-known pest/plague/pestilence houses since 2007. Charles ll issued an Edict in 1665, stipulating that every parish must assign a plague house to use for isolation and health protection against the Great Plague. The talk details the history of medicine and beliefs about the plague. It covers many houses, both still standing and demolished. Plague Houses are placed in context with leper (or lobe) hospitals, isolation units, and general hospitals. Finally, Alison compares and contrasts the management of the plague in 1665 with the management of COVID-19 in 2020.
About Alison Wall
I am a semi-retired public health nurse. I have worked as a nurse, midwife, and Health Visitor. I have researched various subjects, including a local medieval Manor House, where I am a volunteer guide. I have also researched the details about the Russell family who lived there and who now live at Woburn Abbey. I have researched the plague cottages/pestilence houses over many years and give PowerPoint presentations about them. They were used for isolation purposes from the fifteenth century, and I link their use with public health issues today. I have a book published about the plague cottages and the history of medicine. I am a guide at Kensington Palace.
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