Foster's Almshouse () is a historic building on Colston Street,

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. The almshouse was founded by a bequest from the 15th-century merchant John Foster in 1492; his will can be read online.Evan T. Jones (ed.)
'‘Will of John Foster, merchant of Bristol, 6 August 1492’'
The National Archives, PROB 11/9, fos. 65-66 (University of Bristol, ROSE, 2008) The west wing of the current building was built in 1861, the north wing in 1872, and the south and east wings in 1880-83 by Foster and Wood. The

Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne The Chapel of the Three Kings of Cologne is a church in Colston Street, near the top of Christmas Steps, Bristol, England. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The Three Kings of Cologne refers to the Biblical Magi. The dedic ...

, which was built for the use of those living in the Almshouse, was restored at the same time. It has been designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a grade II*

listed building 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 ...

. In 2007 Bristol Charities, which runs the almshouse, sold the existing buildings to a developer to develop into private accommodation. This decision was taken because the existing buildings were judged to be unfit for the purpose of housing the old and often infirm occupants who lived there. The proceeds of the sale have been used to establish a new purpose-built 'John Foster's Almshouse' in

Henbury Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Ha ...

in north Bristol.'The new John Foster’s Almshouse in Henbury, north Bristol'.

References

Grade II* listed almshouses Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol Residential buildings completed in 1861 Residential buildings completed in 1872 Residential buildings completed in 1883 Almshouses in Bristol Houses in Bristol History of Bristol 1861 establishments in England {{Bristol-struct-stub

Archives

See also

References