Hickey's Almshouses are

almshouses 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 ...

between Sheen Road and St Mary's Grove in

Richmond, London Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

. A plaque over the entrance records that the almshouses were built "for Ten poor Men and Ten poor Women by the bounty of William Hickey Esq. Who by his Will bequeathed certain Lands and houses in Richmond in Trust for Charitable purposes". William Hickey, The renowned Richmond historian

John Cloake John Cloake Hon. DLitt. (2 December 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a historian and author of several works mostly relating to the local history of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas. He was also a former United Kingdom diplomatic repr ...

says that very little is known about Hickey other than his generosity to the poor and the fact that he named trustees in his will to manage his bequests. According to Cloake, Hickey was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

(although he was buried at Richmond's Church of England parish church) and "the only one in Richmond to figure in a list of non-juror landowners in 1715". who died in 1727 and is buried in an altar tomb in the churchyard of

St Mary Magdalene, Richmond St Mary Magdalene, Richmond, in the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, is a Grade II* listed parish church on Paradise Road, Richmond, London. The church, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene, was built in the early 16th century but has ...

, left the income of several properties on Richmond Hill, including The Wick, in trust to provide pensions for six men and ten women. In 1822 the charity's funds were boosted by a major donation by Elizabeth Doughty. Twenty almshouses, designed by

Lewis Vulliamy Lewis Vulliamy (15 March 1791 – 4 January 1871) was an English architect descended from the Vulliamy family of clockmakers. Life Lewis Vulliamy was the son of the clockmaker Benjamin Vulliamy. He was born in Pall Mall, London on 15 March 179 ...

, in

Neo-Tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

style with high chimneys, were built in 1834 from the trust's income. These are

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

and Historic England's listing also extends to the site's

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

(which is dedicated to St Francis), also built in 1834 and its two gate lodges. A later block of almshouses, built in 1851 in the same style as the main quadrangle, is listed at Grade II. The property, which includes another 29 buildings behind the almshouses, now consists of 49

flats Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

and cottages, a laundry and a workshop. The almshouses are managed by The

Richmond Charities The Richmond Charities is an almshouse charity based in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames with its origins dating back to 1600. The charity provides affordable housing for people in housing need. It also administers two relief-in-nee ...

. New residents are accepted from 65 years of age.

Chapel of St Francis

The chapel, which was enlarged in 1863 by

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

, is dedicated to

St Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a Mysticism, mystic Italian Catholic Church, Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most vener ...

. It includes a memorial tablet, dated 1874, that commemorates William Hickey.

Note

References

External links

The Richmond CharitiesThe Richmond Charities: Hickey's AlmshousesThe National Archives (UK): Will of William Hickey, Gentleman of Richmond, SurreyThe National Archives (UK): Chapel of St Francis, Hickey's Almshouses, Richmond

Chapel of St Francis

See also

Note

References

External links

Further reading