Kent and Sussex Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Kent and Sussex Hospital was a district general hospital located on Mount Ephraim in Tunbridge Wells
, Kent
, England
serving the West Kent and East Sussex areas. It closed on 21 September 2011 and was replaced by the new Pembury Hospital
.
The hospital provided 281 beds., mostly in "Nightingale
" wards, i.e. with rows of beds on either side of the room.
, designed by Decimus Burton
.
The hospital building was designed by Cecil Burns, a local architect, and opened in 1934. The foundation stone had been laid in 1932 by the contemporary Duchess of York
, later to become Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The original building was surrounded by lawns on three sides, but the hospital has expanded upwards and outwards several times over the decades. This included the installation of six wartime emergency huts shortly after the hospital's completion; four of these huts were still in use as wards when the hospital closed, on 21 September 2011.
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
serving the West Kent and East Sussex areas. It closed on 21 September 2011 and was replaced by the new Pembury Hospital
Pembury Hospital
The Tunbridge Wells Hospital is a large hospital in Pembury, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England, run by the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. The hospital is located north-west of the village on Tonbridge Road....
.
The hospital provided 281 beds., mostly in "Nightingale
Nightingale ward
A Nightingale ward is a type of hospital ward, which contains one large room without subdivisions for patient occupancy. It may have side rooms for utilities and perhaps one or two side rooms, that can be used for patient occupancy when patient isolation or patient privacy is important. ...
" wards, i.e. with rows of beds on either side of the room.
History
The Kent and Sussex Hospital was built on the site of a mansion called Great CulverdenGreat Culverden
Great Culverden is a house, built in 1830 by Jacob Jeddere Fisher, in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England.About half a mile from the centre of Tunbridge Wells, in the Mount Ephraim area, lies a small 9½ acre wood, known as Great Culverden Park. The first big house built on the highest point in that...
, designed by Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...
.
The hospital building was designed by Cecil Burns, a local architect, and opened in 1934. The foundation stone had been laid in 1932 by the contemporary Duchess of York
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. The title is gained with marriage alone and is forfeited upon divorce. Four of the twelve Dukes of York did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, therefore there have only ever been eleven...
, later to become Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The original building was surrounded by lawns on three sides, but the hospital has expanded upwards and outwards several times over the decades. This included the installation of six wartime emergency huts shortly after the hospital's completion; four of these huts were still in use as wards when the hospital closed, on 21 September 2011.
Services
As of June 2010:- Accident & Emergency
- Breast surgery
- Cardiology services
- Endocrinology and metabolic medicine services
- Ear, nose & throat services
- General surgery
- Gastroenterology and hepatology services
- Neurology services
- Orthopaedics services
- Podiatry services
- Respiratory medicine services
- Self harm services
- Vascular surgery