History

The Dorking Almshouses were first recorded way back in 1617.  Cotmandene - reputed to have the finest air in England and an open space where residents used to graze their animals - has its own place in history as the site of one of the first test matches played in England. It was presented to the town of Dorking by the Duke of Norfolk to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

The older part of the present Almshouses were built in 1847-48 at the cost of fifteen hundred pounds, replacing the original 1677 buildings. The money was raised from charitable funds in the gift of Sarah Smith and others and from the sale of the old Dorking Workhouse in South Street and some other land.

In 1961 two buildings were added to the site, providing the Warden's flat and eight bedsitting rooms.  One of these buildings was replaced in 1999 by the new block of six one-bedroom flats.

In recent years the flats in the older buildings have been extensively modernised to meet the changing expectations of residents..