The Almshouses
The 1918 Sale Plan shows the site of the almshouses to be the empty corner of a field.
From at least 1912 money was being saved from the income from Birch’s Charity to pay for the building of four almshouses. For more information about Birch’s Charity see Charity Farm. Trade directories say that between 1923 and 1936 £55 – £60 a year (from an income of about £130) was saved for the almshouses. In 1941 a trade directory reports that the four almshouses had been built.
Aerial view of Almshouses, Church and Chapel in 1955
A public footpath runs northwards from almshouse corner through its garden, across the road and the fields to Drove Lane corner. From the higher ground it looks only a stone’s throw away.
Can you help us identify any of the original 1940s occupants of the Almshouses. Please email us.