Built by public subscription and opened in 1923. Named in memory of Sir Charles Dilke (1843-1911), M.P. for the Forest of Dean 1892-1911. The original building is the single storey building to the right.

It was announced on May 10th 2006 that "The Dilke" was to close. Stephen Golledge, chief executive of West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust brought the news to the Forest. The Dilke is to close within 6-12 months. Lydney Hospital is also to close "once a new community hospital for the Forest at a new site is opened" The Dilke was built and equiped through the contributions of individuals and organisations, some of the contributors are listed below:

Contributor	Amount
General Public	£ 1,500
The Miners	£ 873
The Red Cross	£ 4,000
Sir Harry Webb (M.P. for the Forest of Dean)	£ 3,000
The Commissioner of Woods	£ 500
"An Estate in Bournemouth"	£ 500
Miners Welfare fund	£ 200
Promised from Miners Welfare fund	£ 200
(The total amount needed to build and equip The Dilke was £10,800)
1925 extension
6,300 households contributing one penny a week. (note: this would be "old pence" where 240 pennies = £1)
Miss Lisa Frances Crawshay	£ 1,000
Forest of Dean Miners Welfare Joint District Committee	£ 1,000
Source: The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review - 27th January 2006 and 14th April 2006 (research by Mrs Mabel Beach)

Among the contributors to the fund set up in 1911 to build The Dilke were :
H.H. Asquith (Prime Minister) and members of the Cabinet, the Bishop of Oxford, the Governor of the Bank of France, people of Brussells, Rouen, India, U.S.A. and New Zealand, Sir Thomas Crawley-Bovey, Sir Hubert Parry, Maynard Colchester-Wemyss, the Forest of Dean Coal Owners Association, the Forest of Dean Freeminers Association, the Forest of Dean Miners Association. "But the contributions that Charles would have appreciated the most were the halfpennies and pennies given by the workers of the Forest".

Source: "Four Personalities from the Forest of Dean", Ralph Anstis, Albion House, 1996.

Peggy Ryland added (September 2013): "... I have never seen a picture of the Dilke hospital before. On June 16th 1946, I was born there weighing in at three pounds!! My daughter was born in 1980 weighing three pounds fifteen ounces. The difference being she was in an incubator, whilst I was carried around on a large pillow. Thank goodness for modern technology!!".

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