Almshouses are one of the very oldest forms of charitable activity. Providing shelter and a place to live for someone in need has a history going back centuries.
Originally they were called hospitals or bede houses before later becoming almshouses. One the oldest known almshouses is in Worcester and is over 1000 years old. It was created as a sanctuary to “minister to the sick, bury the dead, relieve the poor and give shelter to travellers…”.
Almshouses have continued to be provided in various forms throughout the centuries and a huge number exist to this day throughout the UK.
Problems back in the early 20th century with the way that some almshouses were run brought about the creation of the original Charity Commission in 19XX to oversee their operations. So the almshouses movement is inextricably linked to the charitable movement we see today.
First World War
After the First World War there were a lot of grieving families who also had the financial means to create memorials to lost loved ones. Memorials took many forms, but there was an upsurge in the building of ‘memorial cottages’. The cottages in Aylesby are exactly this, funded by the McAulay family in memory of their son.
Almshouses these days provide secure housing (rather than tending to the sick!) and rules set by the owning and governing charitable trusts will set out exactly who can get access to accommodation in an almshouse.
If you want to learn more about Almshouses in general then BOOK and visit the website for The Almshouse Association.
Example Almshouses
A simple gallery of images of a range of different age and style almshouses around Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
