THE restored Undershaw at Hindhead has been shortlisted for the Surrey Heritage Awards 2017.

Undershaw was restored last year and a modern extension added and is now the home of Stepping Stones senior school.

Originally the home of Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle between 1897 and 1907, it was commissioned as the family home because he believed the clean air of Hindhead would help his wife recover from tuberculosis.

It was subsequently converted into a hotel but became derelict after it closed in 2004.

The building project saw a major repair and restoration of the original part of the house completed last year along with reinstatement of many original fireplaces.

The awards by the Surrey Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) have been created to celebrate the county’s rich and diverse architectural heritage, highlighting best practice in historic building conservation and restoration. Five other restoration projects have been shortlisted:–

• St Martha’s Priory in Chilworth, a 1930s timber-framed Arts and Crafts house which was neglected and vacant for over 10 years

• Mullins Court, West Street, in Dorking. Originally three of a terrace of four timber-framed houses dating from ar ound 1589

• Hope Mausoleum, in Dorking. A Greek Revival mausoleum built in 1818 for Thomas Hope

• The Old Barn Motor House, in Epsom, which dates from 1770 and

• The Home of Compassion in Thames Ditton. An 18th century mansion in the Strawberry Hill Gothic style, built for the Hon. Charlotte Boyle Walsingham in around 1786.

The judging process is currently under way and the overall winner will be announced in a special ceremony on March 29 at Loseley Park, Guildford, hosted by Michael More-Molyneux, Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey and Patron of Surrey Historic Buildings Trust.

Dame Helen Ghosh, director-general of the National Trust, will be the guest speaker.

For further information, or to join the Friends of Surrey Historic Buildings, go to www.surreyhistoricbuildin gs.org.uk or email friends@ surreyhistoricbuildings. org. uk