Malabar Home for the Blind

An urgent need

In 1943, William Rashleigh became Chairman of the Association and, along with existing Treasurer, William Grenfell, was instrumental in steering the organisation in a new direction.

With more than half of blind people in Cornwall over the age of 70, he argued that there was an urgent need for a ‘home for the aged blind’ who had no family to look after them. This was at a time before the welfare state was introduced in the UK.

After several years of fundraising, donations from the National Institute for the Blind (NIB) and a grant from Cornwall County Council, the Association was able to purchase and adapt Malabar House in Highertown, Truro for £12,500.

Malabar Home for the Blind was officially opened on 18 February 1949 by the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Lt Col Edward H. W. Bolitho. It was the first such home in Cornwall and had room for 21 residents. In his opening speech, Lt Col Bolitho said that:

“This is a voluntary home, but I feel the government should help us in making improvements. Everything else is supported by the Government and surely the taxpayer who provides spectacles and dentures should also help us.”

New wing

The home, led by matron Mrs E Scott, operated at full capacity with people on a waiting list for rooms. Within just two years of opening, there was an urgent need to increase the capacity of the home but funding was an issue. The Association was already running at a loss each year but needed to find an additional £7,000 to build an extension at Malabar for a further nine residents plus nursing staff.

However, thanks to individual donations and legacies plus grants from the Gardener’s Trust for the Blind and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (as the NIB became in 1953) the money was raised and in September 1954, Lt Col Bolitho was back at Malabar Home to open the new wing. It was named after the Association’s Treasurer, William Grenfell, who had been instrumental in raising the money.

Mr Rashleigh said that the wing could not have been built without the help of Mr Grenfell who had given outstanding service to the blind of Cornwall. In response Mr Grenfell paid tribute to the people of Cornwall saying: “Without them we could have done nothing.”

The new wing was instantly filled to capacity and there was still a waiting list for rooms. Each year improvements were made to the home to make it more accessible for the visually impaired residents, thanks again to the generosity of individual donors. Floors were levelled, steps removed and a further two bedrooms were added in 1962 to bring capacity to 32 residents.

Volunteers would regularly visit the home to read to residents, take them shopping or take them out for a drive.

Sale of Malabar House

By the late 1960s, there were almost 1,500 blind people living in Cornwall and the committee was concerned that running a home for the benefit of 35 people was not in the best interests of every blind and partially sighted person in the county. Added to this were the rising costs of running the home and the issues of trying to find specialist staff to work there.

By now, the council had established 20 residential homes across Cornwall and many blind people were choosing to stay in residential care closer to home rather than moving to Truro to a home specifically for blind people. Being closer to home meant that they had family and friends close by who could visit more easily and they were more familiar with their surroundings.

In 1970, the committee began negotiations with Cornwall County Council to discuss transferring the responsibility of Malabar Home for the Blind to them. At first it was agreed that the council would lease Malabar Home from the Association but instead, on 1 September 1971 it was sold to Cornwall County Council for £17,000.