A massive thumbs up goes out to IanB for all his hard work on this one. We originally visited the site a couple of nights before but had limited time as the sun set. Rewind to a sunny Saturday morning and here we are again: Space invader, Sliver Rainbow, Wevsky, Troglodite.

Present name Royal Victoria Hospital

Previous name(s) Folkestone Dispensary (1846-1863), Folkestone Dispensary and Infirmary (1863-1890), Victoria Hospital (1890-1910)

Address Radnor Park Avenue Folkestone (Since 1890)

Previous location Rendezvous Street, Dover Road

Foundation Year 1846

Status

Pre 1948 Voluntary, Military

Post 1948 NHS

Type

Pre 1948 General

Post 1948 Acute, Geriatric, Other: stroke rehabilitation, eye surgery and GP patients (from 1979)

Folkestone's Royal Victoria Hospital was built, facing Radnor Park, between 1889-90, at a cost of over £7,300, with 33 beds, a dispensary, consulting and operating rooms.

In 1973 the maternity unit was transferred to Willesborough Hospital. Following the opening of the William Harvey Hospital at Ashford, this hospital was transformed into a centre for geriatric, stroke rehabilitation, eye surgery (1980-1994) and general practitioner patients. There is a published history of the hospital: Martin Easdown, A Grand Old Lady: The History of the Royal Victoria Hospital Folkestone, 1846-1996 (1996)

In October 2008 Plans to sell part of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone were placed on hold after bats were found in the building. During an ecology survey the Pipistrelle and rare Serotine bats were discovered in the back of the main building and in the separate Wakefield Hall. Since this was reported in 2008 after the building had already stopped being used used for in-patient wards for over a year. The Royal victoria hospital finally shut its doors in 2009 (although some is still active) and patients were moved to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

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