ALMSHOUSES

Weavers' Almshouse Charities

Registered Charity No. 245543

Weavers' Almshouses

Livery Companies have had a tradition of providing Almshouses for the people involved in their craft and the Company's first Almshouses, funded by a Liveryman, William Watson, were built in Hoxton in the 17th century for retired weavers and their widows.  In the next century Alexander Hosea and Nicholas Garrett, both Liverymen, gave respectively a legacy of property in Holborn and six Almshouses in Porters Fields.   By the mid-19th century all these were in a decayed state and it was decided to build new Almshouses on a site at Wanstead, near Epping Forest.  Funds were raised by subscription and the building was ready for occupation by 1859.  In traditional style, with a central clock tower, the building provided twelve dwellings for men and twelve for women with a large Court Room in the centre.

By the 1960s there were few working weavers in the London area and a Scheme of the Charity Commission enabled the Company to extend the occupation of the Almshouses to non-weavers.   With the aid of grants, the fine Victorian building, a local landmark, was completely modernised and extended in 1976.   Further work took place in 1988 when, with the support of the Housing Corporation, a lift was installed and six additional flats were opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent.  Further refurbishment was carried out between 1996 and 1998 to convert the majority of bedsits into one-bedroom flats.

Originally occupation of Almshouses was free of charge and usually carried with it a pension or the provision of coal, but in accordance with modern methods of financing sheltered housing, the residents now pay contributions which cover a substantial part of the outgoings.  

In 1988, a conservatory extension was added to the Court Room.  This has recently been rebuilt and the Court Room refurbished. Installed in the Court Room are two stained glass windows, one a rare sundial window and the other depicting the Company's coat of arms, which were originally in the Company's Hall in Basinghall Street.  These provide a link between the past and the present.   Coffee mornings, trips and outings are arranged and the Company provides an annual summer outing, and a Christmas Party often attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent. 

Resident's sitting room

Weavers' House now provides sheltered accommodation for the elderly in 39 flats and, with resident staff and a central alarm system, offers a safe, comfortable framework within which the residents may develop their own community.

Nearly all the flats are one-bedroom units and a number of them are suitable for couples.  Initial enquiries about availability should, in the first instance, be made in writing to:

The Clerk
Worshipful Company of Weavers
Saddlers House
Gutter Lane
London
EC2V 6BR