Being a former powerhouse that is now drifting towards economic decline there is an awful lot of Urbex to be found in the Medway Towns. So much so in fact that there are a bunch of TikTok and YouTube channels devoted to the very genre.
And this manifests itself in a number of ways such as old forts, abandoned hotels, bunkers, train lines and NHS buildings. So, quite by fluke it was that with Urbex on our mind we stumbled upon Canada House.
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What the Canada House?
Canada House in Gillingham was the Royal Naval Depot Maternity Home, later called the Royal Naval & Marine Maternity Nursing Home when it first opened. It became known as Canada House because it was established with a generous gift from benefactors in Canada during World War I. To be precise in 1917..
It was built to provide a dedicated space for naval families and served thousands of women and infants over the decades. Staffed by nurses and matrons, it was considered one of the better maternity homes for naval personnel, offering modern facilities for the time.
The building saw expansions in the 1930s and again in the 1950s to accommodate more patients. Over the years, it remained a centre of activity for the navy before eventually falling into disuse in the late 20th century, finally closing in mid-2020.
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Exploring Canada House AKA The Royal Naval Depot Maternity Home
Located deep in the suburbia of Gillingham, the building sticks out like a sore thumb in what is essentially a run down flag-toting part of the country. In actuality it looks pretty good considering that it was closed in mid-2020. It is, though, the size (it covers an acre) and the boarded up windows and/or smashed ones that led us to stop.
Amusingly, while some of the wall is cordoned off by a wire fence, much of it is not, meaning that you just jump a small wall to get in. From here the front door has had the bottom window snaked out to mean even a rotund person like myself can creep in.
Inside, the layout is a bit of a maze. There are long corridors, small rooms on either side, some still with remnants of old hospital fittings. It has an asylum-type feel in parts, with peeling paint, broken floor tiles, and the occasional weird smell that makes you wonder what has gone on here over the decades.
Surprisingly, despite the building being abandoned, there is some great graffiti but it has not been overrun with squatters or turned into a crack den, which is unusual for a building of this size and age.
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What now for Canada House?
Canada House was sold at auction shortly after its closure in 2020 for approximately £2.5 million. The new owners plan to convert the building into 21 flats, keeping much of the original façade to preserve its historical character. Planning permission also includes landscaping of the surrounding grounds and a modest car park for residents.
Local heritage groups are trying to save at least some of the aesthetic as it is a really old building. And to be fair the area is in need of more housing. These though are unlikely to be anywhere luxury flats and it does not seem that anything much might be happening soon.
So, for now at least it is just another eerily desolate place that falls into the Medway and specifically Gillingham Urbex scene.
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