Somerset Hospital is a Grade II* listed building in the South Downs National Park local planning authority area, England. First listed on 22 February 1955. A Early Modern Almshouse. 7 related planning applications.

Somerset Hospital

WRENN ID
empty-steel-bistre
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
South Downs National Park
Constituency
Arundel and South Downs MP: Andrew Griffith (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
22 February 1955
Type
Almshouse
Period
Early Modern
Address
Somerset Hospital, North Street, Petworth, Chichester, GU28 0DG
OS grid reference
SU 976 219
Coordinates
50.98881, -0.60939
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Somerset Hospital is a building that was originally constructed as a private residence in the early 17th century and was converted into almshouses in 1746. It has two storeys and an attic, featuring five windows and two hipped dormers. The structure is made of red brick with some stone rubble and has a tiled roof. The windows are casements with cement-coated brick mullions and transoms.

At the center, there is a projecting porch with a round-headed brick archway that has a dripstone above it, along with two sash windows above, topped by a shaped gable. On either side of the porch, there are two sash bay windows, with one window located between each bay and the porch. Above the doorway, there is a tablet that reads: "This almshouse, usually called the Upper Hospital, was founded and endowed with divers farms and lands by Charles Duke of Somerset in 1746." A massive chimney breast is located on the north wall. Behind the main building, there is a long L-wing that is of lower elevation and dates from a later period than the front.

Local climate

Somerset Hospital receives an average of 750 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 71% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 63% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 30 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 64% of listed buildings. Of these, 12 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 7 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

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  2. June Cottage Tudor Cottage Tyrells Cottage Grade II 20 m
  3. Moonrakers Sheeling Cottage Wheatsheaf Cottage Grade II 34 m
  4. Preyste House Grade II 36 m
  5. Preyste Cottages Grade II 49 m
  6. The Gate Posts of the Wood Yard Gate, Petworth House the Gate Posts of the Wood Yard Gates to Petworth House, North Street Grade II 50 m
  7. North House Grade II* 70 m
  8. The Servant's Wing Grade II* 82 m
  9. The Nook (North West Wing), The Nook (North East Wing, Including Pandora's Box), Hell's Bells Corner and Christies Grade II 88 m
  10. The Butler's House, Petworth House Grade II 92 m