Royal Herbert Pavilions seen from King George's Field

Image: © Marathon Taken: 7 Mar 2021

What was first called the Herbert Hospital was opened in 1865. It was built by the authority of Sidney Herbert the 1st Baron Herbert of Lea. Sidney Herbert was responsible for sending Florence Nightingale to the Crimea and led the War Office reforms after this campaign. He was particularly interested in health care and reducing military mortality rates from diseases and ill treated war wounds.  It was the first specially designed military hospital in the country and also the first (of many) to utilize the pavilion design, as advocated by Florence Nightingale, comprising six parallel ward blocks connected by a central corridor.  Almost half the 19 acre site was given over to parkland, ensuring a peaceful convalescence for recovering patients. Queen Victoria visited in March 1900 and was so impressed with the care and treatments of soldiers that she honoured it with royal status and patronage. It then became the Royal Herbert Hospital. It closed in 1977 when the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital opened nearby. A Grade II listing, together with incorporation into the Woolwich Common Conservation Area, saved the buildings from demolition. In 1990 the site was bought by a developer and the Royal Herbert Pavilions was completed in 1995. It consists of 228 apartments and contains its own leisure centre. See https://www.qaranc.co.uk/royalherbert.php  and https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/royalherbert.html for more information and photographs. The photograph is taken from King George's Field.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0