National concern for East Cowes' historic hospital

A Grade II-listed building by the noted church architects Somers Clarke and Micklethwaite, the Frank James Hospital was given to East Cowes by the James family in the 1890s. It was sold to a developer after the hospital closed in 2002 and has become increasingly dilapidated in recent years. In April 2007, Council contractors spent three weeks securing the hospital, which has long been a target for vandals and thieves. The Council, along with local campaigners, is now pressing for the developers to take action to ensure that this nationally significant building is not lost for good.

‘It’s imperative that work starts on the Frank James Hospital,’ said Heloise Brown, Conservation Adviser of the Victorian Society. ‘If left any longer in its present state, repair and re-use might not be possible and this exceptional building could be lost. Local people are clearly anxious to see it looked after. The Frank James Hospital must be saved.’