King's College London

On November 4th, a celebration was held to mark the 50th anniversary since the opening of the Tower at Guy's Hospital.

Staff and students from the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, and colleagues from Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust came together to hear from several members who trained and taught at the Hospital, and were some of the first people to move into the Tower in 1974.

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive, Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust opened the event, and Professor Michael Escudier, Executive Dean of FoDOCS reflected on his career with King's and Guy's. 

Guest speaker Francis Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Periodontology, began his BDS studies in 1974 and entered clinical studies in the new Guy's Tower September 1975. He shared his experiences training at Guy's, and his career journey back to King's.

Professor Stephen Challacombe, Martin Rushton Professor of Oral Medicine, was teaching dentistry at the Hospital when floors 31 and 32 were opened.

The final guest speaker, Jackie Waghorn, shared her memories of Guy's Tower, from training as a nurse in 1984, to her current position as Trust Lead for Mental Health, Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

A cake competition was held to aid the celebrations, with the winning prize going to Kay Jenkins, from Guy's Dental Nursing.