Royal Herbert Hospital

The Royal Herbert Hospital, now known as the Royal Herbert Pavilions, was constructed in 1865 as a restorative facility for veterans of the Crimean War. Designed by chief architect Sir Douglas Galton (of the Royal Engineers), the hospital is most famous for its principal designer, Florence Nightingale, herself Galton's aunt and his cousin by marriage.^{[1] [2]} It utilised a new approach to open planning, and was based on the revolutionary 'pavilion' design whereby each ward was connected to a central corridor to maximise daylight and fresh air intake. Nightingale explained, "All the wards are raised on basements, those at the lower end of the ground are so lofty as to afford excellent accommodation… Every ward has a large end window, commanding beautiful views."

Enclosed in 19 acres of landscaped gardens, and sitting adjacent to the ancient Oxleas Woods and Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, the hospital quickly became a design figurehead for dozens more hospitals, both public and military. The revolutionary constructional methods that included the use of cavity wall construction, fireproof floors, and a system for heating incoming fresh air was a first for UK design. Proving an appropriate response to Florence Nightingale's reflection that, "no ward is in any sense a good ward in which the sick are not at all times supplied with pure air, light and a due temperature. These are the results to be obtained from hospital architecture."

The hospital was considered to be such a leap forward in design and patient treatment that a new Commission of 1883 congratulated it as "one of the best of the modern great hospitals", but its ultimate accolade was to come. Her Majesty Queen Victoria visited in 1900 and was so impressed with the splendour that she granted her Royal Patronage.

The Royal Herbert Hospital was actively involved in the care of the wounded from both World War I and World War II. It was the site of Enid Bagnold's A Diary Without Dates when Bagnold was a V.A.D. there. During World War Two the Royal Herbert Military Hospital admitted civilian patients when the Woolwich Arsenal was bombed by the German Luftwaffe. Any downed pilots and navigators were taken as a Prisoner of War (POW) and treated for their injuries at the Royal Herbert. A separate Luftwaffe officers ward and NCOs ward were set up.

It became the main orthopaedic centre for the British Army. There were also general surgical and medical wards for army personnel and their families. At its peak the hospital had 15 wards which accommodated 650 beds. This included a guardroom and prison ward for 28 army prisoners. Though in the first two years of opening it had no more than 300 patients at any time.

The wards of the Royal Herbert were numbered A through to G, i.e. A1-4, B1-4 etc. A1 and A3 were used for accommodation for female ORs A2 and A4 were Officers and their wives I think, F4 was the STC and F1-3 were for orthopaedics. The Herbert specialised in orthopaedics. There were no D wards as the first floor was Path Lab and the ground floor was Physiotherapy and medical records. The Operating Theatres were at the South end of the hospital nearest the Brook. The basement was home to Things like linen other stores, the cookhouse, the barbers and the X-Ray school.

As the Second World War progressed the Royal Herbert Hospital surgeons operated on civilians.

The hospital closed in 1977 and for a period of time became destitute. Demolition was thought likely, but then its being Grade II-listed and incorporated into the Woolwich Common Conservation Area saved the building until it was purchased in 1990, when it was refurbished and converted into luxury apartments. Today's site incorporates a leisure club, private bar, tennis courts, swimming pool and outdoor nature reserve.

American new wave band Animotion filmed the music video for their 1986 single I Engineer in the then-abandoned hospital.^[3]

(addition to be integrated later)

The two storey Royal Herbert Hospital was built in 1865 on the authority of Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea. He was responsible for sending Florence Nightingale to the Crimea and led the War Office reforms after this campaign. Sidney was very passionate about health care and reducing military mortality rates from diseases and ill treated war wounds. There is a statue of him at Waterloo Place in central London. The building work of the hospital cost £209,139 and the land purchase was £6,394. In 1990, the empty and disused site was purchased by a property developer and developed into 228 luxurious flats and apartments called the Royal Herbert Pavilions.

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