Beamsley Hospital is an

Almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

building at

Beamsley Beamsley is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and about six miles east of Skipton and two miles north of Addingham. The village ...

, near

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, and founded in 1593 by the Lady Margaret Russell, the Countess of Cumberland. She had originally intended for the construction of accommodation for 13 poor widows, a Mother and 12 Sisters, but by her death in 1616 only the hospital and chapel building had been completed. Her daughter,

Lady Anne Clifford Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, ''suo jure'' 14th Baroness de Clifford (30 January 1590 – 22 March 1676) was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became ''suo jure'' ...

, added the front range which provided accommodation for local widows of little means. The north range hospital and chapel building is circular in plan and is constructed as two stone drums, one inside the other, the inner drum rises through the roof of the main building, and contains windows that provides daylight into a chapel that lies within the heart of the building. Around the perimeter there was originally accommodation for a Mother and six Sisters. The nearby south range almhouses block is built in two storeys with a seven bay frontage with three one storey units at one end. The buildings remained in use until the 1970s, after which point the Hospital Trustees passed the property to the

Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then makes them available for holiday rental. The Trust's headqua ...

in 1983, which has restored and preserved the buildings and made them available as historical holiday accommodation. The north wing of the complex is Grade I listed and the south wing listed Grade II*.

References

External links

Landmark Trust WebsiteLandmark Trust history sheet for Beamsley Hospital
{{Authority control Landmark Trust properties in England History of North Yorkshire Houses in North Yorkshire Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire Almshouses in North Yorkshire