In 1925 a plot of land was purchased in Aylesby near Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, and a row of fine cottages was built. The cottages were Almshouses, provided in order to provide homes to those who were less able to afford housing. Nearly one hundred years later, people still live in these seven “little homes” and are grateful for that first vision to build this tranquil refuge.
The cottages are Memorial Cottages, build in commemoration of a Captain Francis Willmer McAulay who died in action during the First World War in France in 1916. Francis Willmer was the son of the local McAulay family and it was their wish that a lasting memorial be built to honor the memory of their son.
Those Almshouses in Aylesby are the responsibility these days of a charity bearing the name of that Captain which was also established by the far thinking McAulay family.
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Francis Willmer McAulay was born in 1891 in Aylesby to Samuel and Maud Mary McAulay.
Francis had two sisters – Phillys Maud and Grace Marion – and their family had been a local part of the Aylesby community for many generations. (read about the family here)
Francis was proud to sign up for military service early and as soon as war broke out he volunteered for overseas service but sadly died on the battlefield in France in 1916. (read about Francis here and about his military history here).
Memorials to the memory of Francis Willmer can be found in the Aylesby village Church of St Lawrence and further afield. There is even evidence of a legacy scholarship at his College in Cambridge. (read about the memorials here)
But when his father, Samuel McAuley died in 1920, he bequested a sum of money to build something in memory of his son. So in 1925, his mother, Maud Mary purchased the land in Ayleseby, hired a renowned architect and a local builder and the cottages were built. (read about the building of the memorial homes here).
The cottages once completed bore the name of the beloved son they commemorated – The Captain Francis Willmer McAulay Memorial Cottages.
Originally there were five homes plus a home for a caretaker and a common room. There were gardens outside for leisure and for growing and a boiler house. The architecture was far from plain and the cottages featured in architectural digests (and Country Life) in the years soon after. (read about the architecture of the cottages here).
Later changes to the cottages eventually saw the caretakers house become a home in itself and the common room become a seventh home. The buildings became Grade 2 listed status. (read about the development of the cottages).
Before she died, Maud Mary McAulay set up an appropriate trust and later a Charity that has responsibility for the cottages to this day.
The latest chapter has been the project in 2019 and 2020, kindly funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to research and record everything that is known about these wonderful Almshouses. (read about this project here)
Please explore this website further to learn more…