For 250 years it has been there for people in their hours of need - from the joy of welcoming new life to the heartache of saying final farewells.
The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital this month celebrates 250 years since its very first outpatients - who were treated on July 11, 1772.
Just three patients were seen on its first day and the following month its first beds were ordered - 20 in total.
Now, that number is in the region of 1,200 and the treats around a million patients every year.
It is now also one of the region's biggest employers, with more than 10,000 people working at the Colney site.
But as it reaches a quarter of a million years of caring for people in Norfolk, in 250 more years could it be dominated by robots?
The hospital already has a cutting edge robotic surgery team, with robot surgeons having recently performed their 200th general surgery.
And chief executive Sam Higginson said when the NNUH comes to celebrate its 500th anniversary, perhaps automatons may have an even bigger part to play in running the hospital.
He said: "I think in the future hospitals will be smaller as more and more parts of the health system will be accessible virtually and in the home.
"I expect robotic surgery will also be much more prominent and that artificial intelligence will have a really big role to play."
Stopping short of Back to the Future-style predictions of flying hoverboards, Mr Higginson also spoke of his hopes for the more immediate future of the hospital and health system as a whole.
The region recently moved into an integrated care system, with health and social care geared at working together closer - which is something he is keen to see evolve.
He said: "I would love us to have a system so seamless that people do not know which part of the system they are accessing when they use it.
"In the immediate future, we really want to move forward with digitalising the hospital, so that requires investment."
This process largely centres around patient records, with the hospital still relying heavily on physical documents - something Mr Higginson admitted could be "clunky".
He said: "We still have people pushing big trolleys around full of paperwork and folders.
"We're in the process of creating electronic hospital records which will mean doctors and nurses can access patient information so much easier and prevent them from having to keep telling their stories over and over."
Meanwhile, the chief executive spoke of his pride at being at the helm of the hospital at such a big milestone in its history.
He said: "It is a really great moment for the hospital. It is a lovely time to reflect on how many people the hospital has helped over the years and the amazing history that it has.
"I think we are probably one of the hospitals in the country with its history going furthest back.
"It's a proud moment."
The hospital is making the occasion with a host of events and fundraisers throughout the year.
The celebrations include:
- Challenging people to cycle either two, five, 25 or 250 miles
- An open day in the Bishop's Garden in Norwich on July 31
- A heritage exhibition at the Forum between September 9 and 18
- A special service at Norwich Cathedral on Sunday, September 25
- An abseiling challenge inside the hospital itself on Saturday, October 1
While the hospital's first patients were seen in 1772, its inception came several years prior.
In 1758, Thomas Hayter, then Bishop of Norwich, first suggested a general hospital be built in Norwich.
He approached surgeon Benjamin Gooch with the idea, who was instrumental in making the project come to life.
A site in St Stephen's Gate was earmarked for the hospital and purchased in September 1770 on a 500 year lease with an annual rent of £6.
The hospital remained in this part of the city until 2001, when it moved to its existing site in Colney Lane.
Timeline
March 1771: First foundation stone laid of first Norfolk and Norwich Hospital
July 11, 1772: The N&N sees its first three outpatients
November 7, 1772: The first seven inpatients are admitted
1848: Building committee appointed to build two new wards
1877: An agreement is made to build a new hospital
June 1879: Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, lays the foundation stone for a new hospital
July 1881: The hospital's new wards welcome their first patients
August 1883: The new hospital is opening
1904: X-ray department opened
1907: First pathology department opens
October 1914: The hospital site becomes a military base
November 1925: A maternity ward with seven beds opens
January 1925: Foundations of a new children's block laid
1935: Orthopaedic department founded and new maternity block opens
1998: Prime minister Tony Blair announces new hospital site will open
2001: New hospital on existing site welcomes its first patients
2004: Queen Elizabeth II opens the new NNUH
2013: Bob Champion Research and Education Building opens
2022: The NNUH celebrates its 250th anniversary
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