Dear Members and followers,
Update – Cranleigh Heritage Cottage Hospital
it is still deteriorating and the team of Trustees and advisors are working on gaining a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Once conserved and open, what does Cranleigh need that the building can provide?
- Most communities in Surrey have a historical archive centre or museum.
- Some have social services and vital mental health and wellbeing support and help for the community.
- Rooms for hire of these sizes, on the High Street, that have intimacy and charm.
- Many villages have tourist and newcomers’ information points.
Outcomes – Heritage Education, health and wellbeing services, meetings, information hub.
There are many excellent services in and around Cranleigh and it has been made very clear by health and wellbeing providers that the cottage offers an opportunity to provide additional facilities.
Our surveys of members of the local community have shown that there is massive support for a conservation project. 98% of those questioned support the ideas to conserve and open it for several different and complimentary uses. We anticipate strong volunteer help and support for the day to day running.
What can you do? Do write in saying you support this project and why you hope people will visit and use it.
AND would you like to be in a video telling us your memories of the cottage?
If so please get in touch – we are meeting at the Band room on Friday 28th April from 2pm with a camera ready to capture stories,
Cranleigh Civic Society commenced investigating the conservation and subsequent uses of the 15th Century Grade II listed cottage at the front of Cranleigh village hospital in December 2020. As of January 2023, this has proved feasible, and the first stage of National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF) application passed. Cranleigh Heritage Trust CIO has been formed.
The Trust team are nearly there with the next stage of Lottery funding application. Please write in favour of this project, we must demonstrate public support to the Lottery.
Also we are hoping to record people’s memories of the old hospital cottage, be it working there or visiting friends and relatives or maybe being treated there.
Thanks
It would be a tragedy if this building was lost to Cranleigh, and until the new volunteer Trustees took, over its neglect was shameful. As the first cottage hospital in the country it is of historic interest. The building is of architectural merit and, when restored, could offer a very special venue of value to the community. My preference would be for a small museum and centre for research and local studies. In addition, it would be an ideal meeting place for small groups. As this village continues to grow, it seems right that there should be somewhere which will help build a sense of place and community.
Thanks so much Miki, just to be clear, the National Lottery Heritage Fund will absolutely not support any museum these days and would have binned our application had it even included the word. However we do plan to include heritage history information and displays and open the building for meetings, social prescribing, health and wellbeing, hobby and volunteer group meetings, school visits and the like. The village also needs a tourist and visitor hub and we plan to encompass that as well.