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The War Memorial Committee agreed that the scheme should be administered by a Housing Society and the God's Port Housing Society Limited was registered
(with charitable status) under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893 on the 1st December 1948. The objects of the Society were "to carry on the industry, business or trade of providing housing and
associated amenities (including facilities for rest and recuperation) for elderly persons of restricted means resident in the Borough of Gosport". It was decided that the primary qualification for the
residential accommodation provided by the scheme should be "war loss" suffered in either the 1914-18 or the 1939-45 World Wars - "loss" being interpreted to include the loss of a member of the
family contributing to its support or loss of a home as a result of enemy action.
The second stage of the scheme was the erection of a Residential Home in the grounds of Bury Hall, and after considerable research and a great amount of
free architectural advice, plans were prepared for a 42-bed residential block, including staff accommodation, at an estimated cost of £33,100. An interest-free loan of approximately half this sum was made available
by the Hampshire County Council as the Welfare Authority under the National Assistance Act 1948 and the balance was rapidly achieved as a result of a further generous gift from Mr. G.V. Northcott and donations from
many organisations and private individuals in the Borough.
The Residential Home was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on the 20th July 1955 and named "Northcott House". The Home is
fully equipped and furnished to a very high standard of comfort, and is fully staffed.
The management of the whole complex is in the hands of a Management Committee, the members of which are elected at the Annual General Meeting of the God's
Port Housing Society.The Society is dependent for its income on the rental from the flats and bungalows and the charges made to the residents of Northcott House. A number of the residents pay the full cost of their
accommodation but a substantial number are financially supported by Hampshire County Council Social Services Department which accepts responsibility for a proportion of the charges of such residents.
In 1957 the Society received a gift of £5,000 from Mr. J.J. Wallis to cover the cost of the erection of four additional bungalows in memory of his brother
who was a former Master at the Gosport Grammar School.
The Ornamental Gardens which form a most attractive setting for Northcott House and its surrounding bungalows and flats were accepted by the Borough Council
as an Open Space for the use of the public, with the result that maintenance is undertaken by the Borough Council free of all charge. A further development of the scheme was undertaken in 1966, principally as a
result of a bequest of £15,000 under the Will of the late Miss Maude Baily, a resident in the Borough. A generous gift of £5,000 from Mr. Walter Masterman in memory of his late wife, together with a further
interest-free loan from the County Council, enabled the Society to undertake the addition of a new Wing to accommodate elderly residents, and to add a new Residents' Lounge.
The construction of the new Wing was completed in June 1968 and it was named "The Maude Baily Wing" in memory of Miss Baily, and the new lounge was named "The Masterman
Lounge" in memory of the late Mrs. Masterman. The final stage of the scheme, consisting of eight single person flatlets, was completed in 1973. These flatlets provide suitable accommodation for persons left
alone in the bungalows after the death of their partner, thus freeing the bungalows for occupation by couples on the approved waiting list, or for single persons on the approved waiting list for flats.The initial
cost of the flatlets was £32,000 and funds were in hand to meet this figure as a result of a most generous bequest from the late Dr. J.C. Glen, who practised in the Borough for many years.
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