The Infirmary shown in Fisher's watercolour was built in 1803 and  occupied the site currently the home of the South Wing of Bedford Hospital. The position chosen in 1803 between Kempston Road and Ampthill Road was favoured as it was on the edge of  town. The building was enlarged in 1826 and the Fever Hospital was added in 1847; the extension and new  building are apparent in Austin's Lithograph of 1850. The Fever Hospital was built as a separate entity in order to keep those suffering from contagious diseases away from the other patients. The building and medical staff were financed by subscription, and large subscribers could nominate a number of patients depending on the amount they put forward. Private individuals and parish churches contributed on behalf of the people under their care. Samuel Whitbread was the major benefactor involved in the construction of the original building, contributing £9,236 in 1803. The hospital which stands today was rebuilt from 1895 onwards and bears little resemblance to the lonely Georgian structure captured by Fisher.