Royal Sea Bathing Hospital

Royal Sea Bathing Hospital
Main façade of the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital in Margate, Kent, UK
Location in the United Kingdom
General information
Coordinates51°23′05″N 1°21′59″E / 051.384780°N 0001.366349°E / 051.384780; 0001.366349
Opened1791
Design and construction
ArchitectRevd. John Pridden
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameRoyal Sea Bathing Hospital
Designated22 February 1973
Reference no.1088987
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameChapel of Royal Sea Bathing Hospital
Designated23 October 1990
Reference no.1241852
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameRoyal Sea Bathing Hospital Mortuary
Designated9 December 1998
Reference no.1033363
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameStatue of Erasmus Wilson to South of Royal Sea Bathing Hospital
Designated23 October 1990
Reference no.1260303
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The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital in Margate, Kent was founded in 1791 by Dr John Coakley Lettsom, a Quaker physician and philanthropist, for the treatment of scrofula.

The hospital was one of the earliest—if not the earliest—specialist orthopaedic hospital in the UK, and pioneered the use of open-air treatment for patients with non-pulmonary tuberculosis. Patients received a variety of treatments, with a central focus on providing patients with the supposed clinical benefits of sunshine, fresh air and sea bathing.