A large 19th century hotel, conveniently situated near the port on the north bank of the river Liane, the Hotel Christol was rapidly commandeered for military purposes in 1914. For a brief period at the beginning of the war it was No.7 Red Cross Hospital (Allied Base Hospital) before becoming the Head Quarters of the Red Cross in France in 1915. It was also used as a Hostel and Restaurant for Red Cross workers and relatives passing through Boulogne until May 1919. It continued in use as a hotel until the Second World War, when it was destroyed along with large swathes of the waterfront.
See also 'Interior' view of a Red Cross Office