Forster Green facts for kids

Forster Green was a kind and successful businessman from Northern Ireland. He started a big company that sold tea and coffee. He is also remembered for being the person who helped create the Forster Green Hospital. This hospital was a special place in South Belfast that helped people who were very sick.

Forster Green's Life and Work

Forster Green was born on October 8, 1815, in a place called Annahilt in County Down. He went to school at Friends' School, Lisburn. When he was a teenager, he started learning a trade, which is like an early job training, along with his brothers. This training took him to Liverpool for a while.

Starting a Business

After his training, Forster Green came back to Ireland and moved to Belfast. He decided to start his own business. He bought and sold tea and coffee to other businesses and to people directly. He was very good at it!

By the time he was 24, his business, called Forster Green and Company, was very successful. It had offices and shops in many busy parts of Belfast City Centre, like High Street and Royal Avenue.

Family Life and Challenges

Forster Green and his family lived in a large house called Derryvolgie house in South Belfast. In 1840, he married Mary Boalde. They had six children together. Sadly, four of their daughters and their only son became very sick and passed away from a lung disease called "consumption" (which we now know as tuberculosis). This was a very difficult time for the family. Only one daughter, Mary, survived and later had her own children. After Mary, his first wife, died in 1880, Forster Green married his second wife, Jane Holding.

Helping Others: Forster Green's Hospitals

Forster Green's sad experiences with lung disease in his family deeply influenced him. He was a very religious person and a member of the Quakers, a Christian group known for helping others. Because of his faith and what his family went through, he wanted to help people suffering from similar illnesses.

Donations and New Ideas

Forster Green and his wife gave £2,000 to Throne Hospital in Belfast. This hospital was for children. Their donation helped open a special unit there just for treating consumption.

Forster Green knew a lot about hospitals because he was involved with the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. He understood how hard it was to set up and run a hospital. In 1895, he bought a large property called Fortbreda House and its land for £11,000. He planned to build a new hospital there, specifically for people with consumption and other chest problems.

The Forster Green Hospital Opens

At that time, one of the best ways to treat tuberculosis was to get lots of fresh air. The Fortbreda site was perfect because it was outside the city in the countryside. This meant patients could get the fresh air they needed.

Over the next two years, the site was developed and built. Finally, on September 30, 1897, the Forster Green Hospital for Consumption and Chest Diseases opened its doors.

Forster Green was very involved in running the hospital as its President. He continued to help with the hospital's organization even in his old age. He passed away in Belfast in 1903, when he was 88 years old. His legacy lives on through the hospital he helped create, which brought hope and healing to many.