NO LONGER does anyone live
on the Isla del Rey, in the harbour of Mahon, in Majorca, but it
was once home to one of the oldest Royal Naval Hospitals in the
world.
As it was strategically
placed in the Mediterranean, Admiral John Jennings, who had taken
part in the capture of Menorca in 1708, saw it as an ideal place
for a hospital to treat the growing number of sailors who were
suffering from the effects of poor diets on long sea voyages. Only
five years previously, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell's five-month
Mediterranean voyage had brought a death toll of 1500.
Admiral Jennings (the 15th
son of a struggling Shropshire squire - which may well have
accounted for his humanity) submitted a plan to the Admiralty, but
gave up waiting for their approval, and ordered the construction of
the hospital, funded largely by his fellow officers. It was
completed in 1711 for a third of the estimated total cost, although
the officers had to appeal to Queen Anne to get their money
back.
By the time the hospital was
finally abandoned, in 1964, the buildings were almost in ruins, and
the once-famous herb garden was completely overgrown. But an
ex-Chief of Staff in the Spanish army, Luis Alejandre, came to the
rescue with an army of local Sunday volunteers, who, over the past
four years, have restored the hospital almost entirely from their
own resources, emulating those naval officers of 300 years ago.
The building now has new
roofs of traditional tiles, the creamy limestone shines bright, and
the herb garden has been replanted. The chapel has also been
restored to use, and the Very Revd Dr Michael Higgins, former Dean
of Ely and now a locum chaplain in the diocese of Europe,
celebrated a service there on St George's Day, attended by
residents of Menorca who had come by boat.
He tells me that some 300 to 400 people cross to the island
every Sunday morning from May to October, and all of them visit the
chapel, where the organist plays as they walk round; and there are
now regular services at festivals and on other special
occasions.