Patrick Comerford
I spent a day in Birmingham last week at a training day in Acocks Green for the trustees of almshouses. Since 2023, I have been one of the eight trustees of the Retreat, an almshouse in Stony Stratford that has four residents.
The group of cottages behind the shops at 14 and 16 High Street, Stony Stratford, are dates from 1892 and were designed by the prominent local architect the Edward Swinfen Harris (1841-1924) in the Queen Anne revival style in 1892.
The founding documents of the Retreat say the ‘cottages for aged or infirm persons over 60 years of age who are inhabitants of the united parishes of St Mary Magdalene and St Giles Stony Stratford … and such parts of the adjoining parishes of Calverton and Wolverton within a distance of 500 yards of the Market Square in Stony Stratford’.
The training day last week was organised by the Almshouses Association, and was attended by trustees from almshouses across the Midlands. It was a four-module course with CPD accreditation, led by Harriet Lemon. We were at Mason Court, an almshouse with 45 bright, modern apartments in landscaped gardens in Olton, a suburb of Solihull on the edge of Birmingham.
Mason Court is part of the Sir Josiah Mason Trust (SJMT), founded in 1868 by Sir Josiah Mason, a Victorian industrialist and philanthropist, and is the corporate trustee of three charities: Sir Josiah Mason’s Almshouse Charity, Sir Josiah Mason’s Care Charity and Sir Josiah Mason’s Relief in Need and Educational Charity.
The Sir Josiah Mason Trust has been providing almshouse accommodation since 1858, 10 years before the trust was formed as a charity. The original almshouses were in Erdington and first provided a home for 30 ‘aged women’ and 20 orphan girls.
One of the modules on last week’s course in Mason Court was on the history of almshouses.
Many people know of historic almshouses throughout England, but few realise how vibrant and relevant the almshouse movement is today. Almshouses provide a strong sense of community, offer safety and security, and make it possible for people to continue to live independently in their locality, often near their families.
At a time when there is a severe shortage of affordable rental accommodation, the role of almshouses has become more vital than ever. In some rural areas, almshouses are the only provider of accommodation for people in need.
Almshouses are managed by volunteers or trustees, usually people who want to become involved in order to preserve good quality accommodation for people in need in their area. Trustees’ support ensures residents retain their dignity, freedom and independence, with the opportunity to live independently in a safe and secure environment.
Almshouse charities today have to invest heavily to modernise and update their dwellings to provide 21st century living, either in building new, contemporary, purpose-built flats and bungalows or refurbishing what are often listed buildings.
Some almshouses employ a warden or a manager to provide support for the residents and assist in managing the charity. A small number of larger almshouses offer extra care and residential care.
Since my late teens, I have been aware of four almshouses in Lichfield. Saint John’s Hospital is beautiful set of buildings, and some years ago I was invited to preach in the chapel there, which had a strong influence on my spirituality since I was 19. Dr Milley’s Hospital is an almshouse on Beacon Street dating back to 1624, Newtown’s College in the Cathedral Close also offers almshouse accommodation. William Lunn’s Homes on Stowe Street has 12 almshouses and date from the 17th century.
The history of almshouses stretches back to mediaeval times when religious orders cared for the poor. Originally called ‘hospitals’ or ‘bede houses’, providing hospitality and shelter.
The oldest almshouse foundation still existing is thought to be the Hospital of Saint Oswald in Worcester founded ca 990. It is believed that Saint Oswald, then Bishop of Worcester, created this sanctuary where the brothers could ‘minister to the sick, bury the dead, relieve the poor and give shelter to travellers who arrived after the city gates had closed at night.’
Ford’s Hospital in Coventry, a 16th century half-timbered almshouse, is one of the most perfect examples of timber-framed architecture and one of the finest examples of 16th-century domestic architecture in England. It is named after William Ford, a merchant who in his will in 1509 endowed the almshouses built around a narrow courtyard. Bond’s Hospital or Bablake Hospital in Hill Street was founded by Thomas Bond, a wealthy draper and former Mayor of Coventry, in 1506.
Other almshouses or former almshouses that I am familiar with and that I have written about in the past include Dorothy Wilson’s Hospital at Walmgate in York, the almshouses on Church Street and Parson’s Fee in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the former Wortley Almshouses in the centre of Peterborough, the former Stafford’s Hospital in Shenley Church End, and the former Saint John’s Hospital in Coventry. Almshouses I have looked at in Ireland include Shee’s Almshouse, Kilkenny, Boyle’s Almshouse in Youghal, Co Cork, and Villiers Almshouse and the Widows’ Almshouses off Nicholas Street in Limerick.
By the early 16th century, there were about 800 mediaeval hospitals spread across England. But at the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s, many were either sold off to landowners or left to ruin.
During the late 16th century, the mediaeval craft guilds founded many hospitals to provide care for the ‘elderly decayed’ members in their declining years.
Today, links with the City Livery Companies remain strong, with many still retaining their own almshouses. Famous amongst these was the Mercer, Richard (Dick) Whittington. Benefactors came from all walks of life: kings and queens, archbishops and clergy, the aristocracy, merchants and liverymen. Many benefactors were driven by conscience and the needs of their fellow men, and perhaps some believed they were helping to secure their own salvation.
In more recent Georgian and Victorian times, almshouses became more urban in character.
During the Victorian era, housing became a huge social problem as people migrated to towns looking for work. Scandalous conditions of the workhouses inspired wealthy philanthropists to endow almshouses, generally for their local area and in groups of 6-12 dwellings. It is estimated that some 30% of current almshouses were founded during this period.
Almshouses are often splendid historic buildings with fascinating features such as dedications, statues, inscriptions, coats of arms, clock towers and sundials. Many retain beautiful chapels where regular services are held and also provide delightful gardens for their residents. They are often laid out in the traditional three-sided square providing a sense of security and community for their residents.
A unique feature of an almshouse charity that has been consistent throughout the ages is that they are governed by locally recruited, volunteer trustees with purely altruistic motives.
Many of these beautiful, original buildings are still in use and are being restored and extended in order to provide warm, comfortable homes with modern heating, bathrooms and kitchens.
