CASE STUDY: Hospital of St Anne almshouses, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
The Almshouse Association agreed a loan of £100,000 towards the refurbishment of all thirteen almshouses.
How our fundraising helps almshouse charities
The Charity has generously documented their project to support others undertaking similar work and to demonstrate how funds raised by The Almshouse Association are helping almshouse charities update their properties, ensuring both their longevity and the comfort of their residents.
BACKGROUND: How it all began
Lady Anne Clifford (1590– 1676) was the last member of one of England’s great medieval dynasties. Lady Anne became something of a legend in her own lifetime and has remained a celebrated figure in the history of northern England ever since. After successfully fighting a 40-year battle for her right to inherit her father’s estates, she devoted herself to restoring and enhancing the castles and churches on her lands.
Lady Anne completed the almshouses in 1653 soon after her return to Cumbria. A group of voluntary trustees are now responsible for the care and maintenance of the properties, which have been modernised many times over the years.
The current project
13 houses make up the group, each house lived in by a single lady as set out in the original Trust Deeds.
Over the years, the maintenance has been funded by the income from a local farm, left in Trust by Lady Anne Clifford for that purpose.
As the buildings aged, and as a result of inappropriate finishes such as cement plaster and poor ventilation, damp was becoming an increasing problem. The residents were troubled by this and the trustees recognised that they needed to act. If the almshouses were going to be a desirable place to live for the next 40 years, then the trustees had to improve the fabric of the building and the infrastructure.
With a few vacant properties, the trustees are able to refurbish the houses in phases, as the ladies are prepared to move temporarily to completed houses, before returning to their original houses in due course.
2023 saw an ambitious programme of redevelopment move to the drawing board and the plan is now well underway.
Execution of the plan will:
improve insulation in the roof and on the walls
install modern and efficient heating and hot water systems with a single air source heat pump distributing heat around all 13 houses
upgrade the ventilation systems
improve bath and shower facilities
rewire and replumb all the houses
install new kitchen facilities
improve storage for rubbish and recycling.
These changes are designed to make the properties appropriate for the next 30-40 years, and ensure that the almshouses remain a safe, comfortable and enjoyable place to live.
Damp walls before work started
Insulated lime plaster
New heating plant room under construction
Raising funds and challenges
The work is likely to cost around £1.3m plus fees.
The Almshouse Association has generously supported the project with a £100,000 loan which is repayable over 10 years.
Additional work has been funded by capital held in reserve, Government Grants from Homes England (payable retrospectively), bank loans and other grants. We did not receive the full funding we might have liked, but had clear phases in the redevelopment that we could defer, so that we could do the most necessary work with the funds secured.
There have been a number of challenges along the way which are related to the structure of the Charity, issues of trustee liability, registration of land and buildings held since 1651 and securing finance, all in addition to complex but manageable design decisions, the planning process, builders’ tenders, archaeology, bats surveys and more.
How the project has taken shape
A project manager was appointed early on in the process. They have worked with the residents, trustees, architects and other consultants to get the project financed and underway.
With the almshouses being a listed building, a significant amount of work was carried out in advance of starting the works. The costs associated with this initial work should not be underestimated.
The front door (and only access to the site)
An ambitious air source heating system is being installed in a newly built annex, with a distribution system around all 13 houses. Residents will be able to draw heat though their own metered supply. However, it is planned to maintain a core base temperature to ensure that the fabric of this old building remains warm and dry.
The latest insulated lime plaster finishes are being applied which will provide warm breathable walls. Insulated limecrete floors are being laid to replace simple cement screeds, or thin sandstone flags. New roof insulation will be laid on thickly.
Improved ventilation for the kitchen and combined living area, along with the bathrooms will further reduce the potential for damp.
We started with a number of vacant houses and these are being upgraded first. Current residents will then move into the completed houses, and we will then embark on second and then third phases to complete all 13 houses by 31 January 2026.
Advertising for new residents wishing to take up residence in the vacant units after completion will start shortly.
The first houses should be complete by the end of June, along with the commissioned heating system.
The trustees have been well supported by conservation architects, M and E consultants, engineers, quantity surveyors, and especially by sympathetic builders who are working on a site with residents to accommodate, very limited access and a constricted site.
A book could be written about all the lessons learned.
The standout lessons are that such projects take time to brew, and that there are many hurdles to gently leap over along the way. Renovations are not cheap and a significant fighting fund is needed to achieve all the benchmarks needed before major funding becomes available, in our case from Homes England.
In hindsight?
The project timing is now being driven by the need to complete within the timescales for funding by Homes England. Ideally we would have fully achieved land registration, corporate structure changes and bank security in advance of starting building.
This is not a project to undertake on a shoestring budget. Fortunately, the trustees had significant reserves, but these have been well used in advance of receiving outside funding. The Almshouse Association loan has been invaluable in the early stages of building work, as we do not receive Homes England funding until the work is complete.
We have been well served by our advisors and professionals. They have advised the trustees in a timely way, and by not cutting corners, have made sure that most problems have been foreseen and dealt with in advance of going on site.
The Almshouse Association would also like to thank all the people and organisations who so kindly donate to The Almshouse Association and leave gifts in their Wills. Without their generosity, we would not be in a position to help support almshouse charities with their renovations and new builds.
The Almshouse Association awards loans and grants to our member charities every year. In 2024, £813,667 was approved in new loans and grants totalled £60,000. Charities pay no interest on the loans, just a small administration fee. As they make repayments on the loans over a ten-year period, the Association can continue to offer loans to charities year after year, meaning that your donations continue to support almshouses and their residents in perpetuity.
If you are interested in making a donation to The Almshouse Association or leaving a gift in your Will, please do visit our Support Us pages here.
posted July 2025