Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A Military Hospital was built in a coomb east of the South Military Road during the Napoleonic phase of works at the fort. Originally it consisted of a single building but by 1871 four single-storey huts had been added – two ‘West Hospital Huts’, one ‘East Hospital Hut’ and beyond that an ‘Infectious Disease Hut’. Alongside these a little further up the hill behind the Military Hospital, a Married Soldiers’ Quarters was also added. (location accurate to the nearest 10m based on available information)

Monument Types

• HOSPITAL (Demolished, Post Medieval to Modern - 1806 AD? to 1945 AD?)

Full description

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Summarised from report:

A Military Hospital was built in a coomb east of the South Military Road during the Napoleonic phase of works at the fort. Originally it consisted of a single building containing medium-sized and smaller rooms, arranged around a sub-divided, roofed courtyard. The rooms along the ends of the building were labelled ‘West Hospital’ and ‘East Hospital’, each with access to half the courtyard. A small range of rooms extended from the centre of the rear (northern) elevation, within a walled yard. Along the front of the building was a colonnade. The hospital was strongly criticised by The Army Medical Department Report of 1860 and as a result of this report further buildings were added to the hospital before 1871. Four single-storey huts were built on land either side of the main building – two ‘West Hospital Huts’, one ‘East Hospital Hut’ and beyond that an ‘Infectious Disease Hut’. In the range of rooms against the building’s rear elevation, immediately adjacent to the courtyard was converted into a Cookhouse and a Mortuary had been added to the northern end of this range. A little further up the hill behind the Military Hospital a Married Soldiers’ Quarters was also added. (1)

<1> Liv Gibbs, 2012, Built Heritage Conservation Framework for Dover Western Heights (Unpublished document). SKE17708.

Sources and further reading

Related records