Image: Cranleigh Cottage Hospital
The Surrey-based former cottage hospital is to be restored into a community hub which will also feature heritage spayed and a digital archive
The first cottage hospital in England, built in 1446, is to be saved from disrepair as it is repurposed into a community and heritage education hub.
Cranleigh Heritage Trust has received a £780,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore the Cranleigh Cottage Hospital, which stands on the high street of the village of Cranleigh in Surrey.
Since 2007, the Grade II listed building has been disused and is currently suffering from disrepair. Its restoration will see it turned into a local community as a hub for health and wellbeing, alongside heritage education and use by community groups. Heritage displays, alongside a digital archive, are set to be added.
Heritage Fund said the cottage “revolutionised healthcare in pre-NHS England” after Dr Albert Napper and Archdeacon John Sapte asked patients of the hospital to pay only what they could afford for treatment, or a community fund covered the charge for those too poor to pay. It claims the model was an early inspiration for the NHS.
Trevor Dale, Chair at Cranleigh Heritage Trust said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to save the Cranleigh Cottage Hospital building and create a new role for it within our village.
“The success of our application recognises the enthusiasm and support of the Cranleigh community—and we are excited to get started with the critical restoration works. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to begin a new chapter in the history of this remarkable building.”
Restoration work is set to begin on the Cottage this spring 2025, with a opening in summer 2026 currently planned.
