Specialist Maintenance of Abbot’s Hospital Expected to Continue Into January

Published on: 2 Nov, 2017
Updated on: 3 Nov, 2017

Scaffolding envelops the historic Abbot’s Hospital built in 1619, to allow scheduled maintenance work.

Work being carried out on one of Guildford’s most historic buildings, Abbot’s Hospital at the top of the High Street, is scheduled to continue into the new year.

Specialist stonemasons are carrying out repointing of brickwork and repairs to the stone-framed windows in the Grade I listed Jacobean building.

Sarah Creedy

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Sarah Creedy, said today (November 2, 2017): “There is always work to be done to a grade one listed building dating from 1619 but the scaffolding relates to our planned programme of maintenance.

“All the work is under the oversight of a specialist surveyor accustomed to working on historic buildings of this nature.

“We expect to complete this phase and therefore remove the scaffolding by January 2018. But repointing is required on the inside elevations of the hospital as well and we are planning on several further phases.”

The “hospital” was built, as a bequest to Guildford, his hometown, by George Abbot after he had risen from humble beginnings, in a cottage near the town bridge, to be appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury. The hospital’s purpose was, and still is, to provide homes for some of Guildford’s older folk. Today, its 28 residents pay affordable rents.

Abbot’s Hospital as we are used to seeing it.

Ms Creedy continued: “The start date of the next phases will be determined by availability of finances and also awareness of the effect upon the residents of the hospital – we don’t want them to feel as though they are living on a building site for too long a period.”

The cost of the current phase is expected to be around £85,000, the exact cost depending on whether the need for any further work is discovered. Works to historic building usually involve more expense than repairs to a more modern property.

Abbot’s Hospital, officially, “The Hospital of the Blessed Trinity,” is operated as a charity. Its income is supported by a couple of commercial premises owned by the hospital.

Sarah Creedy, a former councillor and hon alderman, concluded: “The governors and the master [who is responsible for day-to-day management] regard it as their responsibility, along with the care of the residents to preserve and maintain this beautiful building for future use and enjoyment.

“This phase, being part of a planned programme of maintenance is being funded from the hospital’s resources. We have just submitted an application to the Heritage Lottery fund for assistance with the next planned phases of work and await the outcome of that.”

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