History of Ellesmere Cottage Hospital
During the 19th century medical services were provided privately by local GPs working from their own homes. During this period the idea of the cottage hospital evolved. Cottage hospitals with five or six beds were set up, either by a doctor or a local public-spirited individual, particularly for the use of labourers and their families. Service and coverage, however, was inconsistent and sporadic with local health care in rural areas dependent on the philanthropic and generous actions of socially minded individuals. Such an individual was Louisa Jebb.
Louisa Jebb (1841-1925)
Louisa Jebb was part of the social reforming Jebb family of ‘The Lyth’ Ellesmere. Her nieces, Eglantyne Jebb and Dorothy Buxton, later founded the Save the Children Charity in 1919. Louisa was passionate about establishing a Cottage Hospital for the people of Ellesmere and the surrounding areas but her benevolent aspirations to create a cottage hospital were considerably more ambitious than her available financial resources. Consequently she set about trying to raise the money to get the project underway. Louisa then had the good fortune to inherit a property from her brotherin-law which provided funds to build and equip the proposed hospital.
Construction began in 1906 by William Griffiths of Scotland Street, Ellesmere – whose business evolved into today’s Tudor Griffiths Group. On 10 May 1907 the hospital opened with seven beds and the first patient was Mr. Jenks, a Knolton blacksmith who had been kicked on the head by a horse at Ellesmere Whit Monday Sports. He was received by Miss Priday, the matron, and attended to by Dr. Hoffman. Comment from The Advertiser on 3 July 1907 refers to: ‘The new hospital as being a conspicuous item on the local architecture, and frequent are the pauses of the passers-by to admire its arrangement and recall the many associations between the town and the neighbourhood of Ellesmere and the family of Jebb.’
Louisa Jebb built and equipped the hospital but now needed money for running costs. At a joint meeting of the Urban and Rural Councils, 29 May 1907, Louisa tried to persuade the councils to accept ownership of the hospital, or at least share the running expenses estimated to total about £1,800 p.a. Council members refused believing that this level of expenditure was excessive. It was unanimously resolved:
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‘.. that the Council regret to inform Miss Jebb that the responsibility of supporting a hospital is too great for the limited resources of the Council.’
Having failed to secure council ownership of the hospital, Louisa did not give up, she established a Charitable Trust. Lord Brownlow was a founding trustee and other trustees in later years included Charles Francis KynastonMainwaring, Walter Roger Owen Kynaston, Richard Jebb, Margaret Ethel Jebb and Major Keith Needham.
When the hospital was opened for military use towards the end of the First World War (1917 – 1919) the staff complement included Mrs McDougal (matron), Mrs Edwards of Overton (cook), Mrs Wood of The Mount (secretary) and Mr. Gregory of Birch Road (gardener).
Nurses' wages were £10 p.m. Operations were performed by surgeon, Dr. Melvin of Oswestry, assisted by Dr. Casper of Overton, and the anaesthetist was Dr. Rogers of Ellesmere. One of the nurses, Sister Ethel Radcliffe, gave her address as The Lyth and most interestingly she is the only woman recorded on Ellesmere’s War Memorial. In 1918 she was deployed to a hospital in northern France and sadly died of the ‘Spanish’ influenza virus aged only 45.
The Cottage Hospital continued supporting the needs of the local community until 1948 when it was taken over by the newly established National Health Service (NHS).

1971 – League of Friends Established
Financial support from members of the newly formed League of Friends enabled improvements to be made including building work and the provision of new equipment.
1990 – Closure of the Cottage Hospital
In 1987, a time of NHS reorganisation, Shropshire District Health Authority was committed to building a District General Hospital in Telford and proposed to close ten cottage hospitals, including Ellesmere. The people of Ellesmere were devastated and following a major community campaign a reprieve seemed to be possible. Nevertheless, in spite of this and with the League of Friends stressing the need for a hospital in Ellesmere, hopes were dashed and the cottage hospital closed in November 1990.
1993 – Ellesmere Community Care Centre Trust is Established
League of Friends members, led by Mrs Olga Cureton, were determined and adamant that a health care provision was needed and, in particular, locally based nursing beds. The only way was for the building to be purchased by the community.
Although the building had originally been provided and paid for by the local community the Regional Health Authority would only consider a market-value sale. Prolonged negotiations followed and eventually, a price of £250,000 was agreed. Thus the League of Friends began the task of raising an eye-watering quarter of a million pounds! In 1993, in just two years, as a result of the support of local organisations and individuals, the target was achieved. Ellesmere Community Care Centre Trust was formed as a legal entity to take ownership of the property.
1994 – Ellesmere Community Nursing Home Opens
Now under the new local ownership, the ground floor was leased to Shropshire County Social Services Department to manage a Day Centre. This initiative generated revenue and extended the community care activities of the Trust.
However, the major community plan was to re-open the upper floor with nursing beds for respite, palliative and terminal care . For appropriate nursing home registration to be granted complete renovation was needed – another cost, this time £350,000! Again the League of Friends, together with all sections of the local community, responded to appeals to raise the money, and the seven-bed Ellesmere Community Nursing Home was opened by Mrs. Marjorie Jebb on 28 July 1995 and Mary Williams, Matron. The first official patient was Mr Frank Chetta although the first unofficial patient was the lift engineer who became trapped in the lift and having been rescued spent the night in a nursing home bed!
An extension to the building’s accommodation was completed in 2003 providing rooms for two more beds and better ground floor kitchen facilities. Cost, £100,000.
2017 – Closure of the Nursing Home
The Nursing Home successfully met the needs of local people until October 2017. In spite of on-going financial support by the League of Friends and generous bequests, it finally became insufficient to meet the substantial constantly rising cost of care and the shortfall in income against costs resulted in the closure in 2017.
2023
Ellesmere Community Care Centre remains under the ownership of the Trust. On the ground floor Bethphage, a Shropshire-based charity, has established Our Space, a multi-purpose community centre. Our Space is a vibrant community hub that includes Ellesmere Library, support facilities for adults with learning difficulties and a day centre for older people, as well as serving the needs of the local community. In conjunction with the next door Churchmere Medical Practice, the first floor is being developed as a community healthcare hub, which is providing an extended range of community healthcare services and facilities.

In serving the local community for over one hundred years the original building continues to flourish and thrive as a community health and well-being centre. This is an enduring legacy and fitting tribute to the dedication, commitment and remarkable vision of Louisa Jebb.
Ellesmere Community Care Centre trustees value and celebrate the determination of the volunteer members of the League of Friends throughout the years, together with the people of Ellesmere for their ongoing generous financial support. Trustees also recognise the input from all who have been involved over the past 113 years, in providing community health and well-being of the very highest standard at our ‘Old Cottage Hospital’.