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MHG57060 - WWI Royal Navy Hospital - Invergordon

Summary

Invergordon County Hospital was founded during WWI as a Royal Navy Hospital.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

Invergordon County Hospital was founded during WWI as a Royal Navy Hospital.

Planning App to demolish all buildings except Wyvis House - 02/00922/FULRC

The buildings were investigated in 2013 as part of a project to characterise the quantity and quality of the Scottish resource of known surviving remains of the First World War and was carried out in partnership between Historic Scotland and RCAHMS. The extensive naval hospital at Invergordon is shown on a First World War plan as occupying two sites. The first, and smaller, lies close to hutments at the NW side of the town (NH 7054 6874) and comprises six buildings (see MHG56916). The larger, eastern compound (centred NH 71868 69350) lay at the eastern edge of the base complex and comprises 13 buildings on the site of the modern Community Hospital. All of the First World War buildings have been demolished in recent years. The sale of the naval hospital to the Ross & Cromarty County Council in 1921 is recorded in The National Archives (ADM 1/8605/82). United States Navy Hospital No. 2 was also located at Invergordon (American Diplomats in Russia: case studies in orphan diplomacy, 1916-19, William Allison). A Naval Hospital was in use in the town during the Second World War. Recorded as part of HS/RCAHMS World War One Audit 2013. <1>

See also for 2013 RCAHMS and HS WWI project report. <2>

The buildings were also investigated in 2015 as part of the ARCH project 'Invergordon in World War I'. This is the second WWI Naval hospital in Invergordon, constructed during the war using female builders <3>, and completed after the war. It was designed to hold 250 beds. Casualties from the fleet were taken by steam-drifters to Invergordon, and then transferred from the hospitals to ambulance trains <4>. Two photographs from a WWI photo album in the collection of Historic Environment Scotland and available on Canmore (canmore.org.uk, DP 196204 and DP 196205), show the hospital under contruction in the snow. A WWI Naval plan in private possession provides the layout of the hospital and labels the buildings. It comprised an administrative block, kitchen, store, mortuary and 9 ward blocks. Many of the buildings were used until the hospital was demolished and rebuilt in 2005. <5>

At least three versions of a WWI Naval plan survive, two in private collection which probably date to wartime, and one in the National Archives (MPI 1/641/4) which dates to 1921. On all three the buildings taken over or built by the Navy are shaded, but there are a few discrepancies between the plans. One of the plans in private collection has enlarged details, but only shows the Admiralty buildings and not others in the town. Valuation Rolls also indicate some buildings not shaded on our plans were taken over by the military. It is clear from contemporary photographs that the army built additional buildings, particularly north of Cromlet Drive. <6>

Grid references for individual buildings:
Ward: 271844 869435
Ward: 271856 869417
Ward: 271824 869397
Ward: 271889 869363
Ward: 271900 869345
Ward: 271858 869342
Ward: 271911 869328
Ward: 271869 869325
Ward: 271879 869307
Building: 271866 869388
Building: 271848 869376
Building:271830 869363
Mortuary: 271829 869337

Sources/Archives (6)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 7187 6936 (120m by 150m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH76NW
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	ROSSKEEN

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