The hospital first opened its doors on 27 April 1866, after Queen Victoria agreed for ‘royal’ to be added to its name in memory of her late husband, Prince Albert. Queen Victoria became a patron of the building project, donating 100 Guineas (£100) to the cost of construction which totalled £17,000 (English Heritage).

From a 60 bed hospital, which saw just 248 inpatients, 1,580 outpatients and carried out 12 operations in its first year the Royal Surrey has grown into the 500 bed district general hospital and specialist cancer centre we know today.

Today the Trust sees somewhere in the region of 336,000 outpatients, admits 90,000 for treatment and its Accident and Emergency department sees 73,000 patients every year.

The idea of a general hospital which would serve the whole county of Surrey was first discussed in January 1862.

The hospital’s original site in the Farnham Road, which is now home to the Farnham Road Hospital, was donated by Lord Onslow after an appeal was launched to fund the ambitious project.

Architect Edward Ward Lower was then drafted in and with the assistance of Florence Nightingale plans for the 60 bed hospital were drawn up.

The foundation stones were laid just over a year later and the first staff appointed, which included a resident surgeon, a matron and four nurses.

The hospital remained at the Farnham Road site for just over 113 years before moving to its current home on Egerton Road.

The charity was founded in 1998 to fund projects over and above what the NHS provides. 

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