Artwork by pioneering RNOH surgeon unveiled for Scoliosis Awareness Month

Posted by June Heath on 22 June 2026

RNOH Charity has taken delivery of a group of stunning oil paintings. The collection of beautiful town and harbour views was painted over several years as a hobby by Professor Sir Herbert Seddon, a pioneering surgeon and part of RNOH’s foundational development as a world-class orthopaedic centre. To mark Scoliosis Awareness Month, the display has now been unveiled and viewing is available by appointment.

The paintings were donated by Sir Herbert’s children, the late Mr James Seddon and Mrs Sally Westmacott, herself a lifelong supporter of RNOH Charity. These accomplished works of art now hang in the Sir Herbert Seddon Teaching Centre at RNOH in Stanmore.

Sir Herbert was born in Derby in 1903 and after studying medicine at home and abroad, became RNOH’s resident surgeon, only the second person to hold that position. He spent eight crucial years at RNOH, developing what was then quite a new hospital and devising workshops to help disabled people learn a trade so they could live independently. During this time, Sir Herbert also carried out important research, especially into paralysis caused by spinal tuberculosis, and gained an international reputation for medical excellence.

In 1939, Sir Herbert became Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Oxford and later the first Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of London. His research on peripheral nerve injury also became internationally recognised and he was knighted in 1964 for his contribution to medicine.

During the 1960s, Sir Herbert took care of Sir Winston Churchill, overseeing the treatment of a back injury sustained in a fall and later managing surgery to repair a broken hip. The two became friends during Churchill’s recovery and Sir Herbert recorded their time together in his papers that still survive.

Sir Herbert died in London in 1977 and is commemorated at RNOH in Stanmore by the Sir Herbert Seddon Teaching Centre. Part of the original buildings, the centre is home to the hospital library, training rooms, a lecture theatre and more, with an impressive portrait of Sir Herbert displayed in the entrance. Now, the Teaching Centre also hosts his own paintings.

Did you know?

Sir Herbert’s daughter Sally was married to Mike Westmacott, one of the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest in the historic quest of 1953.

We are indebted to Sally for her donation and will treasure the Seddon family memories. If you’d like to see the display, do contact the RNOH Charity team and we will arrange access for you.