These almshouses were founded in the 16th century (along with the famous Rugby Public School) by Lawrence Sheriff who was born in Rugby and rose to become grocer to Queen Elizabeth I. The original bequest provided homes for four old men who received an income of 7s 6d a quarter (7d a week) plus a gown and coals. By the 19th century there were twelve residents receiving 7s a week (almost as much as an agricultural labourer) plus a blue cloth coat with the founder’s initials on. Throughout the 19th century wives were allowed to live in the almshouse with their husbands, but shamefully a widow had to leave within three weeks of her husband’s death and this insensitive rule persisted until the 1970s.
Rebuilding and extension
The original almshouse in Church Street (opposite St Andrew’s Church) was pulled down, rebuilt and extended in the 18th century. In 1828 four more units were added and the others modified to match them in the gothic revival style (see the photo above). These almshouses were handsome buildings made of stone with the founder’s arms and the date on. Each resident had two rooms: one up and one down with a yard, a coal-house and a little garden at the back. Sadly they were demolished in the 1960s and the site converted into shops (though there is a plaque about them on the site). Replacement almshouses were built on the central island of the gyratory in the middle of Rugby that are still in use today.
Photos of residents
Interesting photos of several Victorian residents can be found on the ‘Windows on Warwickshire’ web site: hairdresser Thomas Holloway, milkman/farmer Thomas Bradshaw and market gardener/greengrocer William Naseby (along with his wife Eliza who helped with the business); Naseby Road in Rugby was called after this family when their smallholding was built on.
Does anyone have memories to share about the old almshouses?
Sources: Aliberti, M., ‘The Lawrence Sheriff Almshouses’ in Aspects of the Past III, Rugby Local History Research Group, Rugby, 2001.
Comments
The elderly men would sit in the porches – they had a seat either side – they were wooden benches. I’d stop and have a chat with them when I passed. it was ideal for an elderly person, close to everything in town. It was very sociable for them.
Outside, they used to stand the horses and carriages for the George Hotel.
Thanks for the fascinating memories. Did anyone visit a relative there? Any details of the inside of the almshouses would also be interesting.
I would question the date of the demolition of the Almshouses. As a Bobby on night duty in the winter of 1960-61, I came across a very frail old gent, standing outside his almshouse. The original lock on the front door had broken and he couldn’t get in, although he had the key. I was able to climb in through the hatch into the coal-hole, and let him in from the inside. He would never have made it through a very cold night
Many thanks for a fascinating comment Maurice – I’ve checked and you are quite right, the move to the new almshouses was after June 1961. I have corrected the article accordingly.
I visited a distant relative there about 1960. I remember it seemed very dark and dingy inside, with a huge fireplace the central feature of the room.
I was brought up in Rugby and lived above my parents bakery shop in Regent Street, around the corner from the Alms houses. We had an outside balcony/yard that looked out over the back gardens of the Alms houses. I didn’t know any of the residents personally, but would quite often see them tending their gardens which seemed to be more of an allotment than a garden of flowers. It was very sad (but obviously necessary because of the condtions they lived in) when we saw them demolished and replaced by the unloading area for the shops – Fine Fare supermarket being the main shop I recall. Sadly I have no photographs of the view. However, when my cousin got married at the parish church a photo was taken of my young self walking up to the church with my mother and Uncle, Aunt and cousins, with the houses clearly seen in the background.
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