In 1840 the Carpenters Company bought 8 acres of land in Twickenham on which to build a second collection of almshouses. The first almhouses financed by the Carpenters Company, Wyatt’s Almshouses, had been built in Farncombe, near Godalming in Surrey, during the 17th century.

Print Courtesy of Bill Evans

“DESIGN FOR THE ALMS-HOUSES AT TWICKENHAM, MIDDLESEX.
By the Worshipful Company of Carpenters of London, for decayed members and their widows. The ten in the centre were built and occupied in the years 1841 and 1842. The ten in the wings are to be erected as soon as sufficient funds are provided for that purpose and for their endowment”.

The new almshouses consisted of 10 dwellings, accommodating 15 elderly poor Liverymen or Freemen of the Company and their wives, or their widows. Originally designed to have a wing either side of a central block – thus enclosing a courtyard – only the central section was built. In front of the almshouses was an extensive garden with a lawn.

The almspeople each received a weekly stipend of 12 shillings (60p).

The almshouses were placed under the supervision of the Middle Warden (later Master) of the Company, Mr William Fuller Pocock, the architect who had designed the building. He visited the almshouses once a month, while the Court of the Company made an annual visit in the last week of June.

The census entry for the almshouses in 1871 refers to ‘Twickenham Asylum’. Census detail for 1871 as follows :-

In 1947 the Company was obliged to sell the site to Twickenham Borough Council, who rehoused the almspeople

Current status

The buildings were demolished around 1951.  Their site is now occupied by Carpenters Court, a mixture of Council and privately owned flats.

The two fine cedars of Lebanon in the front garden give a nod to the past. Many were planted in the borough in the eighteenth century.

Source

Lost Hospitals of London