Chapel restoration project gets £1.68m Heritage Lottery boost

Hampshire County Council hopes the restoration will attract more people to the park

A project to restore a Hampshire chapel that has links to Queen Victoria has secured a £1.68m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Parts of the Grade II listed chapel have been out of bounds for more than two decades amid safety concerns.

The chapel is all that remains of the former Royal Victoria Military Hospital site, which fell into decline and was severely damaged by fire in 1963.

The chapel's tower, gallery and facade will all be restored.

An extension built in 1980 will be removed and a new pavilion will be built to the side of the chapel with a kiosk, toilets and offices.

Once complete, the chapel will be used for cultural and music events.

Queen Victoria laid the hospital's foundation stone on 19 May 1856 "concealing plans of the hospital, a silver Crimea medal and the first Victoria Cross", Hampshire County Council said.

When it opened in 1863 it was three storeys high, had corridors over a quarter of a mile long and could care for up to 1,000 injured soldiers, according to the authority.

'Fantastic news'

The restoration project is led by the council who hope it will help attract more people to Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton.

Councillor Andrew Gibson, executive member for culture, recreation and countryside, said it was "fantastic news".

He said: "The project will not only enable the council to preserve this beautiful piece of our history, but will also mean we can open it up to many more visitors, provide educational activities, offer opportunities for volunteers to get involved, and make a visit to Royal Victoria Country Park an even more special day out for everyone."

Information to explain the historical significance of the hospital, also called Netley Military Hospital, will be displayed around the park.