Today is Heritage Treasures Day, an annual celebration of the amazing and diverse heritage across the UK. To mark the occasion, the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is shining a spotlight on three AHF-supported projects in England that have also just been awarded grant funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This significant funding will help them to progress with plans to conserve and restore important historic buildings in their respective communities.
Congratulations to all three projects, each of which the AHF has supported from an early stage, providing advice and funding to help organisations develop plans for the sustainable re-use of these unique gems.
You can find more information about the successful projects below.
Image: The exterior of Cranleigh Cottage Hospital. Photo courtesy of Cranleigh Heritage Trust CIO.
Cranleigh Cottage Hospital, Cranleigh, Surrey
Considered as the early inspiration for the NHS, this 15th-century cottage is a rare jewel on Cranleigh High Street. Thanks to the efforts of Dr Albert Napper and Archdeacon John Sapte, it opened as a cottage hospital in 1859, and is widely acknowledged as the first of its kind in England. Patients were asked to pay only what they could afford and a community fund covered the charge for those too poor to pay.
Having been disused since 2007, there is new hope for the future of this significant landmark, as Cranleigh Heritage Trust work to bring it back into use as a hub for health, wellbeing and education. Heritage displays, alongside a digital archive, will capture the rich history of both the cottage and Cranleigh.
The AHF supported the early stages of this project with a Project Development Grant in 2021. Now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded Cranleigh Heritage Trust a delivery grant of £786,345, enabling them to make a start on critical restoration works.
Howard Barratt, Trustee of Cranleigh Heritage Trust CIO, said: “The grant from AHF allowed Cranleigh Heritage Trust to start a feasibility study and organise structural surveys of the building to see if it was viable to save. Without their initial grant, we wouldn't be at this stage of the project. AHF also helped us appoint experts experienced in similar projects, which provided fantastic and invaluable guidance.”
Image: The exterior of St George the Martyr. Photo courtesy of the London Diocesan Fund.
St George the Martyr, Camden, London
St George the Martyr was originally built as a “Chapel of Ease” in 1706 and was later given status as a parish church in its own right. Three hundred years later, the church remains a vital asset to the local community. As the building grows older, however, its condition deteriorates. Today, the church suffers from broken plaster, peeling paint and inadequate heating; it has been added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register.
Back in 2022, the AHF awarded a Project Viability Grant to the London Diocesan Fund to commission a high-level review of 19 churches in South Camden, including St George the Martyr. Through this feasibility study, they sought to understand how the use of these buildings could change in order to deliver their individual missions and support more people in need.
Following this work, a project is currently underway to repair, conserve and update the facilities within this Grade II* listed building, ensuring that it will thrive at the centre of the community for countless more generations to come. Thanks to a development round grant of £380,389 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, this vision can now move one step closer to reality.
Image: The exterior of Canada House. Photo credit: Pete Hill / Alamy Stock Photo.
Canada House, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
There’s some exciting news for this Grade II* listed treasure today as well. Originally built as offices for the Sheffield United Gas Light Company in 1875, Canada House played a crucial role in the technological revolution that swept across the UK – where the use of gas for heating and lighting homes was becoming more and more widespread. Various uses have followed since, including a Chinese restaurant and offices, but today the building stands vacant.
Sheffield Music Academy and Sheffield Music Hub are the leading music education providers in Sheffield. In 2015, a partnership was formed between the two organisations, with the aim of finding a permanent home for music education in the city. Upon discovering Canada House in 2017, they launched a vision to restore and convert the building into ‘Harmony Works.’ Located in the heart of Sheffield City Centre, this new music hub will enable each organisation to provide a highly visible, accessible, and physical focus for music education, offering an all-in-one practice, rehearsal and performance destination to meet the needs of diverse and talented young musicians across the region.
The AHF has supported this project with multiple grants since 2019, enabling the completion of initial viability and development work. This paved the way for inclusion in Sheffield’s Levelling Up Bid, which secured £1.6 million for the purchase of the building and a development round grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Having been awarded charitable status in August 2023, Harmony Works Trust successfully acquired Canada House in May 2024. Today, it has been announced that the Trust has now secured a £4,677,306 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, contributing significantly to the proposed restoration of this historic gem.
