Abbeyfield

Last week, on the strength of BH having acted as a relief cook for a while, we were invited to a gathering to mark the near completion of the large new Abbeyfield complex between Ewell West Station and Bourne Hall, on part of what was the Salesian playing field, perhaps for their school in Battersea. A prequel to the grand opening scheduled for today week. A complex which is designed to serve the needs of older people who no longer want the bother of a house, but who are not ready for a home, care or otherwise. With Abbeyfield being just one of a number of operators in this growing market.

The area

The building - in the south west corner of the playing fields

A hub building with three spokes, in the fashion of prisons and mental hospitals of old. An arrangement which facilitates the access of residents to various central facilities and services.

A gathering which included some residents, some volunteers past & present and management. Of which last there seemed to be quite a lot: I dare say our bit of Surrey is well provided with energetic retirees with excellent credentials for helping with this sort of thing.

An upstairs corridor

Parked in nearby Bourne Hall and walked across to Abbeyfield, where there was a modest amount of entry drill - which will include a manned reception desk in due course. Smart new building, with what seemed like a lot of public space and with an interior very much like that of a mid range hotel - an interior which had, we were told, been worked on by a décor consultant who specialised in this sort of building. We were rather taken with the discrete wooden handrails everywhere, contrived to look like a dado rail.

We were given some short talks, a tour and some refreshments. The energy and commitment of those giving the talks was impressive. As was the building itself. A few snippets follow.

About 60 apartments, one and two bedrooms, some for let and some to buy. With the council having an option on some of the for let ones.

A lot of the associated services had been taken on by partners and subcontractors. Including Hamptons who were handling sales of those flats which were for sale - at prices around £300,000 to £350,000, plus a quite serious service charge for the central services.

We wondered about the noise from washer-dryers in the flats. Had laundry rooms been considered - which would reduce noise nuisance, reduce the amount of space and equipment needed and provide social opportunities, rather in the way of laundrettes (of which there are still one or two in the area)?

We wondered about the small provision of car parking spaces. Perhaps the idea was to deter older people from driving - no bad thing given that two of our neighbours carried on driving long after they should have stopped. Both people who one would have thought would have known better. Unlike FIL, who stopped the day he had a funny turn while out driving in the back lanes behind his house in Exminster. Not that that stopped him living another twenty years or so.

There did not seem to be much in the way of garden. Which reminded us how some of the residents of our local Barchester are happy to play with outdoor plant pots. Not full on gardening, but something.

One lady complained about the absence of a bus stop outside the front gate, with it being a short walk to Ewell West railway station (now equipped with lifts) and a short walk in the other direction to Ewell Village. With the facilities of Bourne Hall more or less on the doorstep.

We have often wondered about the mix of staff and volunteers who run the National Trust, with there being a similar mixture here. A mixture which needs a bit of thought, good-will, forebearance and management. All of which seemed to be present on this occasion.

Front entrance not quite finished

So not quite yet. But maybe, one day, one or both of us will end up here.

Still wet when we left.

PS: impressed by being congratulated by a gentleman of my sort of age on my duffel coat. A bit of unsolicited push-back on the BH push for renewal.

Reference 1: https://www.nonsuchabbeyfield.org/. Running the place of the visit.

Reference 2: https://abbeyfieldsouthernoaks.org/. Serving part of south London and north Surrey.

Reference 3: https://www.abbeyfield.com/. The HQ operation. An HQ which seemed to have a light touch, leaving plenty of local autonomy.

Reference 4: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/search?q=abbeyfield. A small collection of older posts in which Abbeyfield gets a mention.

Reference 5: https://www.salesians.org.uk/. A catholic charity with schools: the owners of the site at reference 4.

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