CONTEXT Historic England has been asked to assess the Knutsford War Memorial Cottage Hospital for listing. The owner (the Red Cross Society) has recently announced it intends to sell the building and the site is likely to be developed for housing, although no specific plans have been announced. This building has not been assessed previously but is mentioned in the Buildings of England architectural guide for Cheshire. The building is not within a conservation area. The bronze statue in front of the hospital is reported to have been installed in the 1970s having been moved twice from private gardens. This is attributed to Sir Hamo Thorneycroft, and thought to be a private family memorial to its subject Haron Baronian who was killed (aged 21) in Mesopotamia in 1917. The original inscription plate has been removed, and inscriptions added bearing the dates of the two World Wars. This statue does not however form part of the war memorial hospital, and has not been assessed.

HISTORY AND DETAILS This is a neo-Georgian cottage hospital of 1922 by Sir Percy Scott Worthington and Francis Jones, built as a First World War memorial. It is of slim red brick in stretcher bond with tiled roofs. It comprises a two-storey, three-bay central block, with single-storey cross wings, and later additions to the rear and sides, mostly single-storey. The main roofs are hipped with bonnets and sprocketed eaves, and tall chimney stacks. A timber porch has been added to the front of the building, which retains most of its original timber sliding sash windows. Interior photographs indicate very limited survival of original features such as fireplaces, joinery or hospital fittings; the principal survivals are the memorial panels, plaques and statue above the hall fireplace. A marble plaque which was with these features is now fixed to the front of the building. This reads, 'This hospital was founded/ in memory of the gallant/ men from Knutsford and the/ surrounding district who/ gave their lives for King/ and Country in The Great War/ 1914 – 1918/ Their names are recorded/ on the tablet in this hall'. In 1995 the building was acquired by the Red Cross, the current owners.

CRITERIA AND DISCUSSION The statutory criteria for a building being included on the List are that it holds special architectural or historic interest. The general principles the Secretary of State applies when deciding whether a building is of special architectural or historic interest are set out in the Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings (DCMS, 2010). Further detailed guidance is published in Historic England's Selection Guides for specific building types, in this case the most relevant being Health and Welfare buildings (2011). Relevant factors include the degree of survival and the extent of alteration.

Based on the information provided and judged against the criteria and guidance, Knutsford War Memorial Cottage Hospital is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons: * Date: the early C20 is a period when a high degree of selectivity is required due to the large numbers of surviving buildings; * Comparative significance: the limited exterior detailing does not reach the same standard as listed cottage hospitals of a similar date, for example Harrow Hospital, Middlesex (1906, 1915 and 1925, Grade II, National Heritage List for England reference 1356866) and Moore Hospital, Gloucestershire (1928, Grade II, NHLE 1341656); * Degree of survival: the interior retains few historic features, in particular relating to its function as a hospital; * Historical association: the involvement of Sir Percy Scott Worthington in the design is of some interest, but this commission is a late example in his career and involved collaboration with another architect. The design does not display the pioneering quality associated with some of Worthington’s hospital work.

CONCLUSION Although not of sufficient special interest in a national context to recommend for listing, this building might be considered to be of local historical interest as a First World War memorial, and of local architectural interest for its understated but attractive and little-altered exterior.