Princess Mary’s Hospital RAF Halton

Opened: 1927

Closed: 2002/3

Other: An Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine is also on the site.

The motto of the base is Teach, Learn, Apply.

What is now RAF Halton started out as a temporary deployment area for No 3 squadron of Squadron 3 of the Royal Flying Corps., the land of which was owned by the very rich Rothschild, when Kitchener called for the “first hundred thousand” to supplement the British Army Rothschild was one of those not only to join up but also offered the land on which the base now sits. By 1916 the army had started to erect buildings on the site using German POW labour and transferring more flying staff and planes from Farnborough.

Rothschild died in 1918 and the newly formed Royal Air Force bought the land from the Rothschild heirs and began to build rapidly.

The hospital was opened in 1927 alongside its partner building the Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine. Not only was this a hospital for the Air Forces Sick but it also provided a great tool for training and over the years for doctors nurses and even dentists, police, secretarial and catering parts of the Corps.

The main hospital building has been totally stripped little remains behind to suggest it was once a functioning busy building, a sign here or there remains, the autoclaves which could not be removed are still there along with the immovable parts of the x-ray room. None of the upper windows lock due to warping from the weather and for a while we were very apprehensive as to what the noises were!

We moved on to the back of the site to look at what looked to be the Barrack type buildings but actually turned out to be the old teaching rooms, a couple had changed use overt the years to include A Brownies and Scout complex and one part even contained a cinema.

The pathology/medical labs were interesting and reminded me of school science labs; there were lots of different rooms with testing equipment in. A museum was also on site although the exhibits had long since gone and even a lecture theatre. Upstairs looked to be where the more serious research happened entering a room called “The Virus Room” we saw 2 fridges one to keep things warm I suppose when they were incubating viruses and one for cold storage……. Quite weird to think what might have been in them once.

The old India Block with the glass sun rooms was next; it was used for the treatment of Tropical Diseases so I suppose that’s where it got its name!! The interior although suffering from years of neglect retained a lot of its original features including a large Art Deco style staircase; the best part for me has to be the old style Theatre complete with glass shelves and a big window to provide more light.