Netley Hospital
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The Royal Victoria Hospital, or Netley Hospital, was a military hospital in Netley, Hampshire, England. The hospital was sometimes codenamed or nicknamed Spike Island.
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[edit] History
During the Crimean War (ended 1856), it became obvious that the army's lack of a purpose-built military hospital to handle casualties was a significant disadvantage. A large military hospital was planned at Netley, by the shore of Southampton Water. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 19 May 1856, and the hospital opened for patients in 1863.
The hospital was a quarter of a mile (435 metres) long, had 138 wards and approximately 1000 beds, and was Britain's largest military hospital. It cost £350,000 to build, and was late and over budget.
The building was enormous, grand, and visually attractive, but this came at a cost. The hospital turned out to be neither convenient nor practical. When Florence Nightingale saw the plans, she attempted to get changes made, but by that stage it was too far into the building work to have much effect. Notable problems with the hospital included the fact the corridors were on the sea-facing front of the building, leaving the wards facing the inner courtyard with little light and air. Ventilation in general was poor, with unpleasant smells lingering around the vast building and the first thing that confronted anyone entering the imposing central tower block was a large museum of natural history and anatomical specimens, reflecting the interests of many of the doctors not the patients.
Access to the hospital was initially primarily by ship, with hospital ships docking at the end of a 170 yard pier, built in 1865. This did not extend into sufficiently deep waters, however, for larger ships that were coming into use at the turn of the century, so in 1900 a spur was built linking the hospital to the main railway line at Netley, which thenceforth delivered the majority of the casualties. This was built at the height of the Second Boer War (1899-1902), when the hospital was particular busy.
The railway and pier were also used for other purposes, notably visits from Queen Victoria. She was a frequent visitor to the hospital, often arriving at the pier from her residence on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House. She awarded three Victoria Crosses to patients at the hospital.
From its construction until 1902, Netley Hospital served as the home of the Army Medical School, training civilian doctors for service with the army. As many patients were suffering from tropical diseases, the hospital was also used for medical research.
[edit] World Wars
When World War I started, a large Red Cross hutted hospital was built at the back of the site, which expanded Netley Hospital to accommodate around 2000 beds. Many of the staff were Red Cross volunteers, as most of the regular staff were overseas. Some 50,000 patients were treated at Netley during the war.
Similar usage was seen during World War II, when around 68,000 casualties were treated. In 1944, US Forces took over the hospital in time for D-Day.
[edit] Decline
After the war, the hospital still cared for some casualties returning from overseas service, but due to its high cost of maintenance, it gradually fell into disuse, and the main site closed in 1958. In 1963, a large fire damaged much of the building, and it was demolished in 1966, with only the chapel retained.
At the rear of the site, D Block (Victoria House) and E Block (Albert House) formed the psychiatric hospital. D Block was opened in 1870 as the army's first purpose-built military asylum. These buildings were also used from the 1950s to 1978 to treat Army (and from 1960, Navy) personnel who suffered from VD, drug and alcohol problems.
Today, only the hospital chapel remains. This was originally scheduled for demolition, but was saved at the last moment as a monument to the hospital. The site is now open as the Royal Victoria Country Park. The chapel is open as a visitor centre, presenting history of the hospital, and the tower provides views of the surrounding area.
Some buildings at the rear of the site are used as the Hampshire Constabulary Police Training Headquarters.
[edit] Further reading
Philip Hoare Spike Island: The Memory of a Military Hospital, Fourth Estate,ISBN 1-84115-294-3
J R Fairman Netley Hospital and its Railways Publisher: Kingfisher Rlwy. Prodns (May 1984) ISBN-10: 0946184097 - ISBN-13: 978-0946184095
[edit] See also
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