Collection: Leon Morris Collection

Description

The collection consists of an annotated album of thirty-two prints showing a number of buildings at Chatham Royal Naval Hospital during, and soon after, their construction. Additionally, on the inside cover of the album, is a hand painted watercolour plan of the site showing the relative locations of the hospital buildings.

The front of the album is entitled ‘Chatham Naval Hospital 1900 – 05 A.D.’ and the name ‘Leon Morris’ is recorded on the lower left corner. It is assumed that Leon Morris is the photographer of the prints inside the album, but this has not been confirmed.

The images show a mixture of completed buildings and those still under construction, and appear to have been taken at different times across the whole construction period. In some cases, such as with the administrative block, a building has been photographed both ‘in progress’ and when finished.

Only one image shows patients at the hospital (MOR02/01/04), as all other figures in the photographs appear to be workmen.

Views, predominantly of the exterior, include the boiler room and laundry room, the engine house, the operating theatre building, the clock tower, staff residences and the main central corridor, which, at the time of completion, stretched over nearly 1000ft.

The Royal Naval Hospital at Chatham was built between 1899 and 1905 and was constructed as a replacement for the Melville Hospital whose two hundred and fifty-two beds were no longer sufficient to cope with the number of naval personnel in Chatham. It was designed as a pavilion plan hospital by John Murray and included a general hospital, a separate infectious diseases complex and a number of staff residences and administrative buildings. It was officially opened on 26th July 1905 by King Edward VII.

In 1961 the hospital was transferred to the NHS and, as of 2014, is known as the Medway Maritime Hospital.

A handlist is available.

Archival History

Received Via : R N F Powell of P M Caller and Associates, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, TW Provenance : Album compiled by Leon Morris - no other details of provenance Photographs taken between 1900-1905

Content

Rights

Source: Historic England Archive