In August 2023, Durham Aged Miners Homes Association (DAMHA), the largest almshouse charity in the UK, marked its 125^th anniversary year with a fitting tribute to the man whose vision led to the establishment of the organisation.

The Almshouse Association’s Chairman, Willie Hartley Russell was honoured to be invited to the celebrations.

A memorial service was held at St Alban’s Church in Windy Hook, Gateshead where they celebrated the history of DAMHA which was founded in 1898 and grew from the vision of miner and lay preacher Joseph Hopper, who is buried at St Alban’s.

Staff and Board members from DAMHA were joined by local residents, including 97-year-old Mary Fullwood, and representatives from other organisations, including those connected with the mining industry, at the service conducted by the Reverend Danie Lindley.

Rev Lindley led prayers and hymns, and there were also readings and a speech given by DAMHA Chief Executive Paul Mullis, who also laid flowers at Joseph Hopper’s graveside memorial. Rev Lindley said:

“The success of DAMHA is just not the legacy of Joseph Hopper, or the hard work of all who have taken part in its history, but in the people who live in their houses, the people who support those who live in the houses and the people who continue to look outwards for more opportunities to provide affordable solutions to housing that provide community and support. DAMHA has given people shelter, hope, support and strength and our prayer is that this will continue for many more years to come.”

In his speech, Paul Mullis reflected on the impact DAMHA has had on people’s lives over the last 125 years.

“A recent piece of research concluded that on average an almhouse resident could expect to live 2.4 years longer than the norm. This is due to various reasons including loneliness and the stress of maintaining your home as you become vulnerable with age. All these things are addressed by almshouse living in the community of homes that Joseph Hopper began and DAMHA maintains and develops.

So, we give thanks hugely for the inspiration of Joseph Hopper and building on the shoulder of giants, DAMHA has grown to great things. 125 years on, we are needed more than ever and as caretakers of a great idea, the baton will continue to be handed down to future generation to continue Joseph’s legacy.”

Joseph Hopper believed that a man who had served in the coal mines all his life deserved better than to be evicted from his tied colliery home when he retired. A small weekly levy voluntarily donated from miners’ wages, plus donations of land and materials from mine owners and others, allowed the homes to be constructed and let free of charge.

Although the Durham coalfield is no more, DAMHA has survived and prospered and continues to offer high quality homes for older people. Whilst you no longer need to have a mining background to have a DAMHA home, the Association has never forgotten its roots and is proud to have helped so many former miners find homes in or near to the communities where they grew up.

To find out more about Durham Ages Miners Homes Association, please visit their website here.

[Top picture: Front: Paul Mullis with Reverend Danie Linley, the Reverend John Mayes; Back row: Chair Willie Hartley Russell and other guests who attended the service.]

posted 18 September 2023

Its always great to see almshouses making the local newspapers; these stories are a demonstration of how important almshouses continue to be in their local communities and it was a pleasure to see this latest article and wonderful photo in spaldingtoday recently.

“New almshouses will be an asset to a parish” says the chairman of a South Holland charity.

_{article by By Victoria Fear, 31 August 2023}

Weston Consolidated Charity has built a pair of semi-detached bungalows on its land in High Road, Weston. The charity has now received the keys from D Brown Building Contractors Ltd following a ceremony on Friday last week.

Designed by G R Merchant Ltd, the one-bedroom bungalows have an open plan kitchen and living room, wet room and solar panels.

Chairman Ian Pennington thanked everyone involved in the project, including the contractors, Richard Lewis, Bob Merchant and the John and Maureen Biggadike Foundation.

He said: “Everyone involved should be very proud of what we have achieved. The bungalows will be a real asset to the parish of Weston for years to come.”

_{[above photo: Weston Consolidated Charity chairman Ian Pennington receives the keys to the new alms houses from representatives of D R Brown Building Contractors Ltd; photo credit Spalding Today]}

posted 18 September 2023

The Almshouse Association CEO Nick Phillips was pleased to be invited to the Ewelme Almshouse Charity Strategy meeting this week.

This 15^th Century range of buildings and chapel displays the unique heritage value of the almshouse model. Gems of our national heritage, still providing homes for people in housing need today.

HISTORY OF EWELME ALMSHOUSES

The original founders of what are now known as the Ewelme Trusts were William and Alice de la Pole, the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk.

Alice’s father, Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, had acquired the manor of Ewelme when he married Matilda Burghersh, co-heiress of the Burghersh family. Alice was their only child. Alice married three times. Her first husband was Sir John Phelp, who she married when she was only ten, but he died just a year later. Her second husband was the Earl of Salisbury, who was killed in the Siege of Orleans in 1428, and her third husband was William de la Pole, the Duke of Suffolk. They had one son, John, who was born in 1442. Ewelme Manor was much extended by them from 1444 and subsequently became Ewelme Palace, a very large and impressive building surrounded by a moat. The existing Manor House was originally an outer part of the Palace and is the only part of it still remaining.

In 1437, King Henry VI had given the Duke and Duchess a licence to set up a Chantry Foundation and an almshouse for thirteen poor men at Ewelme. The income for running the Foundation and the almshouse was to come, as it still does today, from the endowment of estates owned by the de la Poles at Marsh Gibbon near Bicester, Ramridge near Andover, Conock in Wiltshire and Ewelme. The thirteen poor men were also expected to come from these estates. In exchange for their free board and lodging in the almshouse, the duties of the almsmen were to attend a number of daily services in the St John’s Chapel of the adjacent Ewelme Church in order to pray for the King, the Duke and Duchess and their successors, and all Christian souls.

One Chaplain, known as The Master, was in overall charge of the Almshouse and officiated at all the services in the Chapel. The second chaplain was the Grammar Master, who taught in the school, which was the third part of the Endowment to be built and is now the oldest primary school in England still in daily use. Boys were brought to Ewelme from the estates. They were fed, lodged, and taught Latin, hand writing, logic, philosophy and maths, in the hope that they would go on to Oxford to study. This was extraordinary in the 15th century when only the sons of the wealthy were able to go to Oxford.

The St John’s Chapel, built on the south side of the existing church during the same period as the Almshouses, contains the Duchess’s remarkable tomb. This is a very rare example of a cadaver tomb, and the only one in existence of a woman. Being part of the Endowment, the Chapel is maintained by the Trust and is used regularly by the almspeople and the children attending Ewelme School.

The Ewelme Almshouse was named ‘God’s House in Ewelme’ and that remains to this day as the formal name of the charity which administers the Trust’s Almshouse and Estates activities. It is registered with the Charity Commission as Charity No. 200581 and is governed by a Board of ten Trustees. The position of Master continues today, but is not vested in the Clergy.

posted 13 September 2023

“The early summer sun shone for around 65 residents of WJ Mills Trust in Cornwall as they came together for a tea party to celebrate 90 years since the renaming of a street in St Day after the charity’s benefactor.

William John Mills, who was born in St. Day later moved to Devon where he built up the Duchess of Devonshire Dairy. He never forgot his roots and established the charity to look after the ‘poor and needy.’ Since 1933 the Trust has provided homes for around 500 local people right in the heart of this historic village.

The tea party coincided with annual festivities known as St Day Feast, which celebrates the area’s proud mining heritage. The event sees children and adults dancing through the streets in traditional dress to the sounds of the Carharrack and St Day Band.

The following day, local children were given the afternoon off to parade from their primary school, stopping to pay their respects at the end of Mills Street, which holds a very special place right at the heart of the village.   

The amount of good cheer and appreciation for the work of the Trust, was matched only by the amount of pasties, scones (jam first!) and pots of tea!”

Donna Birrell

Many thanks for sending in your story Donna, looks like you all had a fantastic day!
To have your almshouse story posted on our website, please email karenmorris@almshouses.org

posted 12 September 2023

The Eventide Homes celebrated Founders’ Day on 21^st July 2023. Residents, trustees, staff and guests enjoyed a barbeque in the almshouse grounds,  87 years after the first homes were built on the estate.

Ken Mantock, Chairman of the Charity, gave thanks to their Founder, Alderman JR Edgecombe, and the founding Trustees, for the legacy they have provided…

Alderman JR Edgecombe became increasingly aware of the growing number of cases of extreme hardship in Bournemouth during the 1930s. This was particularly so amongst women, who were left homeless and without adequate means of support.  In 1933, he was elected as Mayor, an office that he held for three years, becoming an Alderman, and it was during this time that JR Edgecombe envisaged a community of small villas where older people in need could find security in the latter part of their lives. By July 1936, the first two blocks had been built and were ready for occupation. A Community Hall was opened in July 1937 and was made possible thanks to the kindness of Sir Alexander Maclean (of toothpaste fame). Today there are 74 homes on the estate.

This was the first event held on this scale since the pandemic and Ken Mantock thanked the support shown by the community during that time. He personally thanked the local Post Office Master, the local Chemist, and the Community Champion from the local supermarket.  All went above and beyond in helping the residents of the charity during such a difficult time.

The Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Anne Filer, who was a guest at the event, and an ex-officio Trustee of the Charity herself during her term as Mayor, was amazed at the beautiful surroundings and publicly thanked the Trustees for their hard work in ensuring that the Charity is thriving today. 

To find out more about Eventide Homes, please click here and to read the Founders Day pamphlet.

Westminster Almshouses Foundation (WAF) invite new Almshouse Association Chairman Willie Hartley Russell to celebrate Founders Day.

_{[above photo -Association Chairman Willie Hartley Russell Lord Mayor of Westminster Cllr Patricia McAllister and Sue Ford Chair of Westminster Almshouses]}

The event was also attended by the City of Westminster Lord Mayor Cllr Patricia McAllister, the charity trustees and the residents.

The Founders Day service and reception celebrated the occupation of the Westminster Almshouses Foundation in their current location at 42 Rochester Row. The present building was opened on St James’ day (25 July) 1882. The original almshouse, founded by James Palmer in 1656 was located a few minutes away in Palmers Passage, just off Victoria Street.

Over the years, the site has expanded & now provides accommodation for forty one residents.

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In 1656, Rev James Palmer founded almshouses in Palmer’s Passage for six poor old men and six poor old women together with a school for the education of twenty boys. He also encouraged Butler and Hill to make donations to create almshouses.

In 1675, Nicholas Butler founded two almshouses in Little Chapel Street near Palmer’s Passage for two of the most ancient couples of the best report and, in 1708, Emery Hill, a brewer and benefactor in the parish of St Margaret Westminster founded 12 almshouses and a school in Rochester Row on land leased from Westminster Abbey. 

All the almshouses were consolidated together into the United Westminster Almshouses and re-erected in Rochester Row in 1881-2.