Geograph - photograph every grid square

As part of the National Trust’s commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire has been transformed back into “The Stamford Military Hospital” for an exhibition entitled “Sanctuary from the Trenches”..

From April 1917 to January 1919, this elegant Georgian Mansion was the Stamford Military Hospital, one of 3,244 auxiliary hospitals created to treat the wounded of the First World War. It was offered to the Red Cross by its owner, Penelope, Lady Stamford. Its role was to provide sanctuary to soldiers whose injuries, whilst not life threatening, were of sufficient gravity to require medical care. By the time it closed, 282 soldiers had been treated here. All were ‘tommies’, lower ranked soldiers and non-commissioned officers. They were from all over the country – plus nine Canadians. They were sent with a range of illnesses and injuries and stayed for varying lengths of time, the shortest stay was 10 days and the longest almost 10 months

As part of the display, the hospital’s main ward (‘Bagdad’ as it was known to the soldiers), their recreation room, the operating theatre and nurses’ station have all been restored for the centenary. The recreated hospital is based on original records from Dunham Massey’s archives.

Dunham Massey Hall and garden are immediately west of the village of Dunham Town, with the deer park, the only medieval park in Trafford to survive to the present day, lying to the south of the hall.

The present hall was initially built in 1616, but was later remodelled for George, Earl of Stamford and Warrington between 1732 and 1740; it was also altered towards the end of the eighteenth century and in the early twentieth century.

The hall and grounds were donated to the National Trust by the last Earl of Stamford in 1976. They are open to the public and are amongst Britain’s leading visitor attractions, with almost 200000 people visiting in 2010 (Link ). The hall itself, the stables, and the carriage house of Dunham Massey are all Grade I listed buildings

Dunham Massey is scheduled to remain open as the Stamford Military Hospital for the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons (Link National Trust Visitor Information).