HISTORY
The Cambridge Military Hospital was built by Messrs Martin Wells and Co. of Aldershot. It was named after Prince George, Duke of Cambridge and opened on 18 July 1879.
In the First World War the hospital was the first to receive casualties directly from the Western Front. Cambridge Hospital was also the first place where plastic surgery was performed in the British Empire. After the Second World War, with the decline in importance of Britain's military commitments, civilians were admitted to the hospital. It pioneered the supply of portable operating theatres and supplies for front line duties.
It was closed on 2 February 1996 due to the high cost of running the old building as well as the discovery of asbestos in the walls.
EXPLORE
A friend and I arrived in Aldershot fairly early one crisp October morning. After eating a Gregg's sausage roll and trying to process the crushing existential dread stemming therefrom, we made our way over to the site. Well, this was far from easy; access was tricky to say the least. After a fair bit of research, it seems that security has been beefed up at the site. Similarly, there was a fair amount of work going on, with several workmen removing parts of the walls, flooring, light fixtures and ceilings. Asbestos everywhere. Good job we packed the masks.
Anyway, after a patient wait, we saw an opportunity to get in. After such a long and arduous process gaining access, we were relieved to finally set eyes on the now faded internal grandeur of this impressive piece of architecture. Our relief was short lived, however. After only about ten minutes cautiously mooching about the place, we triggered an unseen PIR camera which instantaneously caused both an eardrum-fisting alarm and the scrambling of several Gurkha military security guards to surround the perimeter of the building.
We lurked in the shadows listening to a chorus of guards shouting into their radios. We came very close to getting caught; about 50cm to be precise. But through patience and a bit of sheer luck, we managed to get out undetected.
Unfortunately, given all of this drama, I was only able to take a few shots. Similarly, it seems that a lot of the original features have now been, or are in the process of being, removed. Bit of a shame really. But I guess that's just the way things go.
The Cambridge Military Hospital was built by Messrs Martin Wells and Co. of Aldershot. It was named after Prince George, Duke of Cambridge and opened on 18 July 1879.
In the First World War the hospital was the first to receive casualties directly from the Western Front. Cambridge Hospital was also the first place where plastic surgery was performed in the British Empire. After the Second World War, with the decline in importance of Britain's military commitments, civilians were admitted to the hospital. It pioneered the supply of portable operating theatres and supplies for front line duties.
It was closed on 2 February 1996 due to the high cost of running the old building as well as the discovery of asbestos in the walls.
EXPLORE
A friend and I arrived in Aldershot fairly early one crisp October morning. After eating a Gregg's sausage roll and trying to process the crushing existential dread stemming therefrom, we made our way over to the site. Well, this was far from easy; access was tricky to say the least. After a fair bit of research, it seems that security has been beefed up at the site. Similarly, there was a fair amount of work going on, with several workmen removing parts of the walls, flooring, light fixtures and ceilings. Asbestos everywhere. Good job we packed the masks.
Anyway, after a patient wait, we saw an opportunity to get in. After such a long and arduous process gaining access, we were relieved to finally set eyes on the now faded internal grandeur of this impressive piece of architecture. Our relief was short lived, however. After only about ten minutes cautiously mooching about the place, we triggered an unseen PIR camera which instantaneously caused both an eardrum-fisting alarm and the scrambling of several Gurkha military security guards to surround the perimeter of the building.
We lurked in the shadows listening to a chorus of guards shouting into their radios. We came very close to getting caught; about 50cm to be precise. But through patience and a bit of sheer luck, we managed to get out undetected.
Unfortunately, given all of this drama, I was only able to take a few shots. Similarly, it seems that a lot of the original features have now been, or are in the process of being, removed. Bit of a shame really. But I guess that's just the way things go.