by Trevor Dale
After a frustrating period, which lasted fully 2 years we have finally signed the lease with NHS Property Services. I won’t bore you with why it took so long, but there are significant clauses which the Heritage Fund will and will not accept. We were caught in the middle.
Now the unwanted has been cleared out and we can see the cottage in all it’s dusty neglected glory. For now, the table remains. It is over 200 years old and we hope it will be saved in Cranleigh Village Hall. It is huge and very heavy. We have also saved the doctors desk and a very old wooden coffer which we will get restored locally before we open.
Also we have tried to save the shrubs in the front garden. Having removed them it has revealed further damage.
Look carefully at the bottom of the right hand upright on the porch. The mortar has trapped moisture and the base of the wood has completely rotted away.
We will be installing a French drain, a sunken damp barrier, all round the front and side of the cottage to arrest any further rising damp problems.
Restoring a medieval building is a complex series of tasks. Where many repairs have been inappropriately carried out in the past, unsuitable materials have been used. The most obvious is using sand and cement. This was unknown before the early 1800’s and lime-based mortar was used. This is permeable. In short it breathes. Sand and cement traps moisture. Fine in modern structure, absolutely fatal in old ones.
Time is pressing. The big issue is the floor needs to be removed and a new lime-based screed laid down. Unfortunately it is very slow to dry and cannot be hurried. To aid this it needs to be down by mid-to late Autumn, before the weather turns cold and damp.
So, in short, because we couldn’t start until the lease was in our hands, we are slightly delayed. Next immediate steps are to go to tender and select contractors suitably qualified to start actual work.
Wish us luck, please.
FURTHER SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT
We are actively seeking new members to join the team now that we have a live project. If you believe you have skills and time to use them that would be helpful to a heritage project, please get in touch.
Please contact us by phone, 01483 272987, letter or email to;
To register an expression of interest in future use of the facilities please write to us with the following information:
1. Brief description of what you offer and the benefits to clients and customers.
2. Say if and where you currently offer this service and why people would use the cottage to meet you.
3. Brief declaration of support for the project in general.
4. Return name and address and any website or social media links.
Thank you so much! Trustees Trevor Dale – Chair; Howard Barratt; Jane Briggs; Chris Bulley; Sue Dale; Nigel West. Advisors Bob Callard – architect; Joanna James – business advisor, Michael Miller and Joy Horn, history advisors.
Visit our website www.cranleighheritagetrust.org.uk
