- Joined
- Aug 25, 2013
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Royal Hospital Haslar
Visited with Chaos
History
Founded in the reign of King George I, the Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, was one of several hospitals serving the Portsmouth area, but had previously been the country's foremost - and ultimately last - military hospital. Its military status was withdrawn in 2007, and those military personnel remaining joined the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU Portsmouth) at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Portsmouth. In the summer of 2009, all remaining (civilian) medical services at Haslar were relocated to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, and the site was subsequently sold.
The Royal Military Hospital Haslar has had a number of notable specialist medical facilities, including a decompression chamber and a zymotic isolation ward.
The Royal Hospital Haslar was designed by Theodore Jacobsen and built between 1746-61. The site opened as a Royal Navy hospital in 1753. It has had a very long and distinguished history in the medical care of service personnel both in peacetime and in war since that time, treating many tens of thousands of patients.
Haslar was the biggest hospital - and the largest brick building - in England when it was constructed. Dr James Lind (1716-1794), a leading physician at Haslar from 1758 till 1785, played a major part in discovering a cure for scurvy, not least through his pioneering use of a double blind methodology with Vitamin C supplements (limes). The hospital included an asylum for sailors with psychiatric disorders, and an early superintending psychiatrist was the phrenologist, Dr James Scott (1785–1859), a member of the influential Edinburgh PhrenologicalSociety.
In 1902 the hospital became known as the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar (abbreviated to RNH Haslar).
In the 1940s, RNH Haslar set up the country's first blood bank to treat wounded soldiers from the Second World War.
In 1966, the remit of the hospital expanded to serve all three services - the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, after which time, it became known as the Royal Military Hospital Haslar.
In 1996 the hospital again became known as the Royal Hospital Haslar.
In 2001, the provision of acute healthcare within Royal Hospital Haslar was transferred from the Defence Secondary Care Agency to the NHS Trust. The Royal Hospital was the last MOD-owned acute hospital in the UK. The decision to end the provision of bespoke hospital care for Service personnel was taken prior to the UK's expeditionary campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was nevertheless followed through, largely on the grounds of cost. The change from military control to the NHS, and the complete closure of the hospital have remained the subject of considerable local controversy.
The hospital formally closed in 2009 with a view to it being redeveloped in some shape or form in the future
Report
4am seemed like a good idea when we finalised a plan for this jaunt....roll on a few days and I'm up in the dark, the oncoming winter's cold creeping in and its pissing it down. Not to let a chilly dark wet morning dampen the mood, We drive the hour to Gosport to have a crack at Haslar. Due to the changes to a few of the locations 'features' we were on the verge of knocking it on the head...however i'm not one to give up on a derp that easy. The sun was coming up and we were running out of ideas so with a quick chat we decided on a risky yet rewarding little mission, with a bit of a squeeze here and a squeeze there and some clever placement tekkers we were in.
The site itself is on the large size, its a typical style massive hospital layout where you have no idea where your going. We followed the remaining signage and decided to check the mass of X-ray, MRI and CT scanners/machines first. I'm amazed none of this kit has been removed and given a new home, but with the rate of advance that technology is moving these days the equipment has been left behind in dark ages.
We cracked on through the various buildings, wards, walkways and old operating theatres attempting to cover as much ground as possible before I needed to be back for my Sunday roast. Someone has clearly made an effort (albeit not a very good one) to put in a few cuffed security measures internally which resulted in lots of up and down stairwells and in and out of wards and admin offices to try and get from point to point, it definitely added double the amount of walking distance.
We found that after we'd seen the things we came for we ended up going round in circles, with legs getting sore and belly's needing sustenance we decided to head out and home.
This was a good little explore and another box ticked.
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Thanks for looking
Visited with Chaos
History
Founded in the reign of King George I, the Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, was one of several hospitals serving the Portsmouth area, but had previously been the country's foremost - and ultimately last - military hospital. Its military status was withdrawn in 2007, and those military personnel remaining joined the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU Portsmouth) at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Portsmouth. In the summer of 2009, all remaining (civilian) medical services at Haslar were relocated to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, and the site was subsequently sold.
The Royal Military Hospital Haslar has had a number of notable specialist medical facilities, including a decompression chamber and a zymotic isolation ward.
The Royal Hospital Haslar was designed by Theodore Jacobsen and built between 1746-61. The site opened as a Royal Navy hospital in 1753. It has had a very long and distinguished history in the medical care of service personnel both in peacetime and in war since that time, treating many tens of thousands of patients.
Haslar was the biggest hospital - and the largest brick building - in England when it was constructed. Dr James Lind (1716-1794), a leading physician at Haslar from 1758 till 1785, played a major part in discovering a cure for scurvy, not least through his pioneering use of a double blind methodology with Vitamin C supplements (limes). The hospital included an asylum for sailors with psychiatric disorders, and an early superintending psychiatrist was the phrenologist, Dr James Scott (1785–1859), a member of the influential Edinburgh PhrenologicalSociety.
In 1902 the hospital became known as the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar (abbreviated to RNH Haslar).
In the 1940s, RNH Haslar set up the country's first blood bank to treat wounded soldiers from the Second World War.
In 1966, the remit of the hospital expanded to serve all three services - the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, after which time, it became known as the Royal Military Hospital Haslar.
In 1996 the hospital again became known as the Royal Hospital Haslar.
In 2001, the provision of acute healthcare within Royal Hospital Haslar was transferred from the Defence Secondary Care Agency to the NHS Trust. The Royal Hospital was the last MOD-owned acute hospital in the UK. The decision to end the provision of bespoke hospital care for Service personnel was taken prior to the UK's expeditionary campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was nevertheless followed through, largely on the grounds of cost. The change from military control to the NHS, and the complete closure of the hospital have remained the subject of considerable local controversy.
The hospital formally closed in 2009 with a view to it being redeveloped in some shape or form in the future
Report
4am seemed like a good idea when we finalised a plan for this jaunt....roll on a few days and I'm up in the dark, the oncoming winter's cold creeping in and its pissing it down. Not to let a chilly dark wet morning dampen the mood, We drive the hour to Gosport to have a crack at Haslar. Due to the changes to a few of the locations 'features' we were on the verge of knocking it on the head...however i'm not one to give up on a derp that easy. The sun was coming up and we were running out of ideas so with a quick chat we decided on a risky yet rewarding little mission, with a bit of a squeeze here and a squeeze there and some clever placement tekkers we were in.
The site itself is on the large size, its a typical style massive hospital layout where you have no idea where your going. We followed the remaining signage and decided to check the mass of X-ray, MRI and CT scanners/machines first. I'm amazed none of this kit has been removed and given a new home, but with the rate of advance that technology is moving these days the equipment has been left behind in dark ages.
We cracked on through the various buildings, wards, walkways and old operating theatres attempting to cover as much ground as possible before I needed to be back for my Sunday roast. Someone has clearly made an effort (albeit not a very good one) to put in a few cuffed security measures internally which resulted in lots of up and down stairwells and in and out of wards and admin offices to try and get from point to point, it definitely added double the amount of walking distance.
We found that after we'd seen the things we came for we ended up going round in circles, with legs getting sore and belly's needing sustenance we decided to head out and home.
This was a good little explore and another box ticked.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Thanks for looking
Last edited by a moderator:
