The figures are stark. At the current rate of progress, says Shelter – the UK’s most prominent charity campaigning for housing justice – it would take no fewer than 119 years to clear the UK’s social housing waiting lists. Never has the role of almshouses been more crucial, or the need for new ones more acute.
Typically imagined as rows of chocolate-box cottages with matching front doors, almshouses currently provide charity-owned homes for some 36,000 older people in the UK – and there are more on the way.
The modern iteration, however, is more likely to adorn the cover of an architectural magazine than the lid of a box of milk chocolates.
Even so, the aim associated with the almshouse concept – to provide a small number of beautifully constructed homes with shared courtyard spaces where residents can mingle – remains as important as ever.
“The model addresses some of today’s most pressing social challenges, such as loneliness, as the design fosters a real sense of community,” says Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association, which represents more than 1600 almshouse charities across the land.
“Research shows that people enjoy longer, healthier lives when they live like this, so the model is saving society at least £43m each year, mainly in lower social care and hospital costs.”
Sheppard Trust
One of the UK’s newest almshouse developments is in East Molesey
Here, The Sheppard Trust has recently completed a stunning complex of 60 one-bedroom flats for the sole use of women aged 65+ who are in housing, social or financial need.
Designed to the highest standard around a courtyard garden, most of the homes have private balconies or patios.
“The property abuts the newly reconstructed Royal Cambridge Home with a lovely view across Hurst Meadows,” explains Clare Scott Booth, Chief Executive of the Trust.
Founded in 1855 to provide homes for “respectable ladies with limited income”, the charity previously had properties in Holland Park, West London. Ageing Georgian mansions were hardly suitable for older people’s needs, however, and it would have been impossible to adapt them without reducing the number of residents.
Meanwhile, The Royal Cambridge – a care home run by a charity formed in 1851, originally for the widows of servicemen – was also nearing the end of its useful life.
Cue the intervention of a London estate agent, who was able to bring the charity and The Sheppard Trust together. The result was a win-win: the Trust bought two-thirds of the Royal Cambridge land for its own new property, while the purchase money enabled the home to be rebuilt, retaining its garden and iconic cedar tree.
With air-sourced heat pumps, underfloor heating, spacious kitchens and wet rooms, the flats are perfect for the needs of residents as they age. They also exemplify a key plank of the almshouse philosophy: that being poor or vulnerable doesn’t make one less worthy of the best in architectural design.
Over the centuries, that commitment to aesthetic excellence has taken many forms. Almshouses have variously featured statues, coats of arms, clock towers, ornate inscriptions and more.
Cleaves, courtesy of Andy Scott via Creatives Commons
Kingston’s Grade II listed Cleaves Almshouses is a case in point, epitomising the familiar chocolate-box style. Founded in 1669, the first row of 12 cottages – complete with communal hall – was the fruit of a bequest by the haberdasher William Cleave, whose philanthropic legacy also included a grammar school in Kent.
As further plots of land were acquired, so the complex grew. Today it also includes Victorian/Edwardian buildings housing single-level homes, along with five modern flats – all backing onto a peaceful garden.
“It’s an oasis in the heart of Kingston,” says Shanthini Shanmugaguru, Clerk to the Trustees of the Cleaves Almshouses charity. “The original cottages are tiny. People were smaller in the 1600s, and new residents are often surprised to find that a three-piece suite won’t fit into one of these homes.
“But residents [all men and women aged 60+ and unable to afford a market rent, as stipulated by William Cleave] can use the hall for family gatherings.”
The designs may have changed, but in Kingston and Molesey alike, charity still begins with homes.
All almshouses are rental only. You cannot buy them like council houses, but in theory you have them for life.
Almshouses in Richmond and Windsor
The Richmond Charities have been housing and supporting elderly people in need for over 400 years.
Queen Elizabeth’s Almshouses, now on The Vineyard in central Richmond, were founded in 1600. From then on, many wealthy benefactors endowed land and property for building almshouses locally, and The Richmond Charities now owns and runs 162 of them, spread over 14 estates in Richmond, Twickenham and Mortlake.
These include Bishop Duppa’s – founded by Brian Duppa, Bishop of Chichester, in 1660 – on The Vineyard, Church Estate on Sheen Road and five one-bedroom homes on Benn’s Walk, just off the A316.
Jesus Hospital in Bray
Almshouses in Berkshire
Windsor also boasts a network of historic almshouses, with thriving properties owned by Old Windsor United Charities, Joseph Chariott’s Charity, the Reavell and Plowman Almshouse Charity and more.
They stand on such prominent thoroughfares as St Leonard’s Hill, Gallys Road, Clarence Road, Victoria Street and Vansittart Road.
Jesus Hospital in Bray, near Windsor
Managed by The Hartley Trust and dating from 1623, Jesus Hospital comprises 18 Grade I listed almshouses for over-55s experiencing financial hardship or housing difficulties.
Abbots Guildford
Guildford’s iconic Abbot’s Hospital
Set in beautiful historic surroundings, Abbot’s Hospital – officially known as the Hospital of the Blessed Trinity – provides independent living right in the heart of Guildford.
As Ian Bowler, the Master, proudly proclaims: “It is still doing today what it set out to do 400 years ago: look after the elderly and ‘poor’ of the town.”
Founded in 1619 by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (1611-33), as a gift “out of my love to the place of my birth”, Abbot’s now has 21 independent living units for a maximum of 30 people (including some living as couples).
In addition to being elderly and poor, successful applicants for a home must be from Guildford and ‘of good character’.
“We operate as a community,” says Ian.
“Residents are invited (though not obliged) to attend weekly services in our chapel, as well as gatherings for coffee, lunch and intergenerational activities with students from the Royal Grammar School, where George Abbot himself was educated.
“Living independently doesn’t have to mean living alone. If a resident needs a plumber, we take away that worry and organise it. We are a caring community, and though we do not provide it ourselves, we will help residents to get the care they may need as they age.”
As one of Guildford’s most iconic buildings, the Grade I listed landmark offers guided tours at 11am every Thursday and Friday between Easter and the end of October. Two further tours (11am and 12 noon) take place on the first Tuesday of each month – the day of the town’s farmers’ market – and there are private visits by arrangement.
How it all began
The tradition of almshouses – ‘alms’ meaning charitable donation – goes back to medieval times. Originally known as hospitals, they took the name from their role in providing hospitality along with caring for the vulnerable and the sick.
“The oldest almshouse charity still operating today is St Oswald’s in Worcester, founded in around 990,” says Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association. “It was part of a movement that had started in the Middle East before spreading west.
“Sadly, few of those Middle Eastern and European charities survive. England now has the most almshouse charities – around 1600 – followed by Holland (150) and Wales (36). Scotland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Eire and Northern Ireland have one each.”
For further information on almshouses, including how to apply for a home or become an almshouse charity trustee, visit: almshouses.org
