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Royal Victoria Country Park |
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Description |
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The Royal Victoria Country Park covers 200 acres and is alongside the shores of Southampton Water. There are excellent views of container ships and cruise liners making their way along the along the river.
From 1863 until 1966, the site was home to the Royal Victoria Hospital, in its day it was the largest military hospital in the world. The building was about a quarter of a mile long with 138 wards housing about 1000 beds. It had its own pier to receive ships bringing back war casualties, however this was impractical as the water was not deep enough for ships to berth alongside and in 1900 a railway line was constructed and patients arrived by ambulance trains direct from Southampton docks.
All that remains of the hospital is the chapel, which acts as a heritage centre providing the history of the hospital. Tower Tours take place every Sunday throughout the year. The park also has a miniature narrow-gauge railway on the site which runs for around 1 mile. |
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Open |
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| Park open all year - daily, 8am - 9pm (5pm in winter) |
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Prices |
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| Prices are for a Tower Tour, normally held every Sunday afternoon. |
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Contact |
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More pictures |
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The Royal Victoria Country Park covers 200 acres |
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Miniature narrow-gauge railway on the site which runs for around 1 mile |
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Southampton Water |
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Some excellent views on the Tower Tour |
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Directions |
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Follow the brown tourist signs from junction 8 off the M27 or A27.
Netley train station is 20 minutes walk away. |
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Parking |
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Refreshments |
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| Cedar Tea Rooms next to the Heritage Visitor Centre. |
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Accessibility |
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| The central area of the park and all facilities are accessible. Only the far corners of the park are not fully accessible. There is an automatic door leading into the tea rooms. Ramp leading to the beach. Two accessible toilets; the one by the Tearooms can be opened with a RADAR key at all times The Disabled Play-Area has now been fully integrated with two new sections of equipment. Wheelchairs are available for people to borrow from the Park Office or the Netley Chapel. |
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