Page 36 - QARANC Vol 17 No 1 2019

34 QARANC THE GAZETTE
The Royal Victoria Military Hospital
HRH The Countess of Wessex GCVO opens the refurbished chapel
Just as I was retiring as Director of the Army Medical Services Museum in early 2014, I was contacted by Hampshire County Council (HCC) and asked if I would be willing to act as the historical consultant for a Heritage Lottery Funded project to refurbish the chapel of the former military hospital at Netley. This was the start of a four-year project that I enjoyed immensely. The £3.5 million project not only included the chapel but also the grounds of the Royal Victoria Country Park, so that the public would eventually have a better understanding of the size and role of what was the first purpose-built military hospital in the British Isles.
As many readers will know, the hospital was vacated by the Army in the 1960s and a large part of it was destroyed by fire and subsequently demolished, the chapel being the only remaining building. Hampshire County Council purchased the site and re- opened it as the Royal Victoria Country Park in 1980.
The conservation work on the chapel included not only fully redecorating it to its original splendour, but also replacing the broken window pane, new roof tiles, a new staircase and lift to make the chapel more accessible, a cafeteria and toilets and installing internal exhibits to help tell the story of the hospital, its staff and patients. In the grounds are pergolas that have been placed in what would have been the four corners of the hospital, to give the visitor an idea of its immense size in its heyday. There are also graphic displays to help bring the hospital to life. The original Foundation Stone, which for many years sat outside the
HRH The Countess of Wessex greets Paul Del-A-More
The Countess climbs the staircase to the top of the Chapel Tower
Museum of Military Medicine, was returned at the beginning of November 2018 and now sits outside the chapel.
For my own role in the project, I had to attend meetings, normally on a monthly basis, either at HCC offices at Winchester or at Netley itself, and offer advice on displays and what was relevant in the hospital’s history to display. At the start of the project I carried out an audit of archives and artefacts located in store at Netley and offered advice on their future relevance to the project. In the final year of the project, the pace speeded up and there were displays and graphics to review on a regular basis, and if necessary correct, and the occasional tour of the site. I was very lucky to be a part of an excellent team of designers,
architects, Friends of the Park and staff from the park.
The opening of the Chapel took place on 12 November 2018 and was performed by the Colonel in Chief of QARANC, HRH The Countess of Wessex GCVO. Sadly, I was not able to be present as I was returning from Ypres where I had been working as a battlefield guide over the Armistice weekend.
After being greeted by officials from HCC, The Countess was given a tour of the chapel by Paul Del-A- More (Senior Project Manager) where both the conservation project and community outcomes were explained. The Countess was shown a time capsule that was to be buried and then unveiled a commemorative plaque.