A century-old house so overgrown it couldn't be seen on Google Earth has been rediscovered, having been buried in a thicket. The old matron's cottage behind Romsey Hospital in Hampshire was only found when Southern Health NHS Trust planned an extension to a car park at an adjoining site.
The old red brick one-storey cottage, which had also previously been used as a mortuary, will be spared from demolition. Romsey Hospital relocated to Winchester Hill in 1931 - 92 years ago. It traces its origins to a small cottage hospital in Greatbridge Road, which was officially opened as the 'Jubilee Nursing Home' in 1899. Planning documents for the car park extension lodged with Test Valley Borough Council show the then-inaccessible building in the south-west of the hospital site.
But the plans only said: "Building heavily overgrown - no access. Check after site clearance." Photos of the house following the site clearing show how the building has slowly been reclaimed by nature, with its collapsing roof and empty windows now covered by fauna. A spokesperson for Southern Health NHS said: "The building, which was uncovered as part of the current hospital improvement works, is believed to be around 100 years old and was originally thought to have been a matron's house before being used as a small on-site mortuary for a short period of time. We can confirm that the building will not be demolished but will instead remain, safely situated to one side of the extended car park.