The Military Hospital opened its doors to patients in 1879. The name came from His Royal Highness The Duke who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Army at the time. The hospital was built on a hill because current clinical thinking at the time thought that the wind would sweep away any infection and clean the air. The Military hospital was famed for its supposedly mile long corridor, with self contained wards and rooms branching off on either side. It was hoped that this design would reduce cross infection. The neighboring Hospital opened in 1898 and eventually changed its name and purpose in 1958 caring solely for mothers and babies. TheMilitary hospital was used throughout its years to house casualties from the majority of the wars this country has seen; from the first world war upto the first gulf war. The Military Hospital closed down in 1996. Many factors were given as the reason for its closure; cost to maintain, efficiency and asbestos were among them