[1] It opened on 1 November 1865[2] and in the following year Jane Catherine Shaw Stewart, Nightingale's colleague, became responsible for the nurses until she was obliged to stand down after accusations of bullying.

[3] It utilised a new approach to open planning, and was based on the revolutionary 'pavilion' design whereby each ward was connected to a central corridor to maximise daylight and fresh air intake.

Any downed pilots and navigators were taken as prisoners of war (POWs) and treated for their injuries at the Royal Herbert, where a separate Luftwaffe officers and NCOs ward was set up.

Completed in 1995, today's site incorporates a leisure club, private bar, tennis courts, swimming pool and outdoor nature reserve.

[1] Opposite the hospital, the Royal Army Medical Corps Officers' Mess was built in 1909; renamed Victoria House, it was sold by the Ministry of Defence in 2013.