The history
The first house to be built south of Melton's River Eye, Hill House was built pre 1760 by Mr Hind, and let to the Earl and Countess of Chesterfield. In 1840 Colonel Charles Wyndham moved to Melton to follow his passion for foxhunting. Col Wyndham rented Hill House and renamed it Wyndham Lodge, in the hunting tradition.
In 1852 Col Wyndham was made Governor of the Tower of London and vacated Melton to his regret. In 1869 the house was rented by William Chaplin, who subsequently purchased it in 1870. Chaplin preferred the location to the building, and had the entire house rebuilt in Wartnaby stone by R. Winter Johnson of Melton, in 1874. Chaplin lived in the house for some 30 years
The house and 15 acres of parkland were purchased by Col Richard Dalgleish in 1920, as a gift to the town, to become Melton & District Cottage Hospital. At the time, the local authority was looking for a suitable memorial to honour those who had fallen during the Great War, so in 1921 Wyndham Lodge finally became Melton & District War Memorial Hospital.
Photographs of the time show the Hospital grounds covered in a variety of flourishing trees; the tranquillity of the setting must have provided a welcome relief for those recovering from enemy action overseas.
In 1948 the Hospital was subsumed into the National Health Service, and has remained so to the present day. With the building of a new hospital in the town, the War Memorial Hospital is surplus to requirements and its present owners, Melton, Rutland & Harborough Primary Care Trust (PCT), are now disposing of the site.
The explore
This was one in a number of explores in a long day of explores with @slayaaaa. This was out main target for the day. Having seen a few reports this looked like a good place to visit.
We found a way into the grounds pretty easily and then struggled to find a way into the building until we resorted to rummaging through the overgrown gardens and found a window with no board on it and in we went. What a lovely place inside and although quite run down it was easy to see what it would have been like in its heyday. I have since seen pictures from here and its in the process of being pulled down, Im glad we got to see it when we did
As always please enjoy the pics
