Gazing across at the elaborate Edwardian brick frontage, we are now standing before the former Queen Alexandra Military Hospital. It opened in July 1905. This hospital served a crucial role in British military history.
The Queen Alexandra Military Hospital stands on the borders of Millbank and Pimlico. It is in Westminster, London. The location was chosen carefully, adjacent to the River Thames. It was just north of the Tate Britain.
King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra officially opened the hospital. Queen Alexandra was the president of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. This highlights her personal connection.
In 1907, the Royal Army Medical College opened nearby. It was on the south side of the Tate Gallery. This college played a key role in training medical professionals.
During the First World War, the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital became a general hospital for the British Army. It treated war-wounded soldiers. Cases of trench fever, frostbite, shellshock and gas gangrene were also treated here.
After the war, the hospital expanded to 200 beds. It became a postgraduate school. Medical officers from the Royal Army Medical Corps and British overseas territories studied here. Officers from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force also studied here. It became the only British institution teaching military surgery.
The Queen Alexandra Military Hospital had strong ties with Westminster Hospital. There was also a connection with the Army Medical Service. They even had a joint neoplastic clinic.
During the Second World War, the hospital and college site was vulnerable to bombing. Fortunately, it sustained only superficial damage. After the war, a vascular surgical unit was set up with St Mary’s Hospital. Postgraduate training continued for Army medical officers. They studied surgery, tropical diseases, and pathology. Other ranks received technical medical training here.
In 1957, the hospital expanded again to 300 beds. It now had two operating theaters. There were 11 wards, including one for children. Male nurses came from the Royal Army Medical Corps. Female nurses came from the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.
After services transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital in Woolwich, the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital closed in 1977. However, the Royal Army Medical College remained at Millbank until 2005. Teaching then moved to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham near Portsmouth.
A 2005 conservation audit described the hospital building. It noted the elaborate Edwardian brick frontage with stone detailing. The feature bow window and decorated gable to the entrance bay were also mentioned. Timber sash windows were throughout. Attractive pavilion blocks trailed off to the east. Some were demolished for extensions to Tate Britain. The chapel remains behind the John Islip Street block.
The report concluded that the buildings made a positive contribution. They contributed to the character and appearance of the conservation area. A three-story red brick property stands on Millbank. It was built as the lodge to the Queen Alexandra Hospital. Extensions to Tate Britain have since separated it. The lodge has a domestic appearance. It helps enclose the northern open space in front of the Tate.
Part of the hospital site now houses an extension of the Tate. However, most of the buildings remain. They house administration departments of the Tate. The library, meeting rooms, and the conservation science section are also here. The chapel remains but its stained glass window was moved. It depicted the Ascension of Jesus Christ. It is now in the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital, Woolwich.
The area around the Tate is a conservation area. This includes the former military hospital. The former Royal Army Medical College and other adjacent areas are also included. As of 2005, only the hospital buildings were not listed.
Today, the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital stands as a testament to its vital role in military medicine. Its buildings still contribute to the character of the Millbank area. The stories of those who served and were treated here linger in the walls, making it a place of historical significance.