SNN111965 - Historic Building Recording: The Old Cottage Hospital, Pebble Lane, Brackley, Northants

In March 2020, historic building recording to HE Level 2 was undertaken at the Old Cottage Hospital, Pebble Lane, Brackley, prior to refurbishment and conversion of the former cottage hospital into two dwellings. The earliest structure on the site, evidently acquired as the nursing home originally proposed in 1876, is the three-bay stone house with a small rear wing, which forms the south-east corner of the present hospital complex. From its vernacular style this building is probably of 18th-century date, along with the adjoining row of cottages, all of which are shown on the 1830 map of Brackley. A second, similar-sized building on the street frontage to the west, could also have been part of the hospital. In 1887, an L-shaped, single-storey extension was added to the stone house, containing wards and a kitchen, with a lean-to corridor to the rear, linking it to the existing building. The rear wing appears to have been enlarged, possibly also at this time. The building was erected by public subscription, as recorded on the exterior of the new building. During the early 20th century the hospital continued to develop: an operating room being added in 1908. Following WW1, the hospital gradually fell into disrepair, and it was not until 1936 that major rebuilding and refurbishment took place, coincident with the hospital’s 60th anniversary. At this time, the original rear wing of the 19th-century hospital was demolished, being replaced by the present two-storey rear wing and the southern part of the long single-storey wing on the eastern boundary. During the Second World War, the hospital was designated as an Emergency Medical Services hospital, though this never proved necessary. In 1948 the hospital passed to the NHS. A final phase of refurbishment took place in the late 1980s, when the single-storey rear wing was further extended. The hospital transferred to a charitable trust in 1991, then became a nursing home, closing finally in the early years of the present century. There remains little of historic or architectural significance on the site, other than the fabric of the earlier (Phase 1 & 2) buildings.