Most readers of "Thames Ditton Today" will be aware of the six Almshouses close to Thames Ditton railway station. They date from 1720 and are important listed buildings. However, there are six further Almshouse units at the end of Weston Park which were built in 1980 but Almshouses existed on "Ditton Marsh" from about 1630.
The Weston Green Almshouses were funded by Dame Elizabeth Hill of Imber Court. The first building consisted of four small rooms under one roof, together with a quarter of an acre of garden, for "four poor labouring men or widows". Two further Almshouses were added many years later thanks to the Rt. Hon Fitzwilliam Hume Dick M.P. of Ditton House. As for the Station Road Almshouses (originally the land was called Gore Close), Henry Bridges, who had become "Lord of the Manor of Imber", provided the buildings we see today.
The Almshouses are not maintained by public or local authority money. Past donations by local people and an annual contribution from the Henry Smith Charity, together with a reasonable weekly maintenance contribution from each of the residents, are invested and used by the Trustees to ensure that the buildings are safe, secure and comfortable, and maintained to a high standard. Donations and legacies in the future will be gladly accepted.
The Trustees are local people or people associated with Thames Ditton, three appointed by Elmbridge Borough Council and up to four co-opted. Past Trustees have included well-known residents such as Lorna and Don McKerrow and Adrian Pierpoint. Today the Chairman of the Trustees, Chris Packham was born and bred in Thames Ditton and was the Borough Environmental Health Officer for Elmbridge. Other Trustees include a former business manager of "Thames Ditton Today" whose father edited the magazine for some years.
So there are close connections between this magazine, the Residents Association and the Thames Ditton Almshouses. But more Trustees will be needed in the future, so the Honorary Clerk, Irene Taylor (020-8398-1011) would be pleased to hear from anyone who might be interested.
As mentioned earlier the buildings are maintained to a high standard and the comfort of the residents is of great importance to the Trustees - so it is good to report the recent major work undertaken at the Station Road buildings. The Bridges Almshouses, which are two-storied, had the bathrooms with toilets downstairs. It had been in the minds of the Trustees for some years that an upstairs toilet would be a much needed facility, but the lack of space, the "listing" of the buildings, and the potential cost, seemed to make the scheme an impossibility. Two years ago, the Trustees led by their Chairman, decided to "grasp the nettle". Discussions took place with Planning Officers at Elmbridge, Social Service officers at County, grant providers both at the District Council and the Henry Smith Foundation, VAT advisors, the national Almshouse Association, and a number of other bodies, not to mention the residents themselves.
A local architect, Murray Denham of Tolworth, was employed, plans were finalised and Walton-on- Thames builders A. S. Ashcroft Ltd. won the building contract. Under the watchful eye of the architect, the builders carried out excellent work providing six dormer window extensions in the back roofs of each of the Almshouses. These blend with the existing style and brickwork of the old buildings.
The work cost a great deal of money but, thanks to some grant assistance and the cooperation of all parties concerned, the residents now each have a new upstairs room which contains a toilet, a hand-basin and a towel rail, together with storage space in the eaves - a happy and satisfactory conclusion to two years of work by quite a number of people which has provided much needed facilities to be used for many years to come.
Chris Burchett