ALMSHOUSES OF LONDON

 

 

Boone's Almshouses

Belmont Park, Lee, SE13 5BL

 

The third Boone's Almshouses opened in 1963, built by the Merchant Taylors Company on a site which had once contained large Victorian detached and semi-detached houses along Belmont Park and Blessington Road. They comprised 28 dwellings in single- and 2-storey buildings, together with two staff units for a matron and a gardener, arranged around a central green. A high brick boundary wall surrounded the almshouses on the road frontages, rendering them a 'gated colony'. Access for vehicles was from Belmont Park (which had an elaborate arched entry) and Blessington Road, with an additional pedestrian entrance from Middleton Way.

Applicants were required to have lived in the Boroughs of Lewisham or Greenwich for at least five years, with preference given to candidates from the former parish of Lee.

In 2010 the Company decided to sell its almshouses in Brandram Road in order to raise funds to redevelop the Belmont Park site.

The new scheme, to be undertaken by the Company and One Housing, would provide 62 almshouses (32 with a single bedroom and 30 with two bedrooms) within an apartment block arranged along Middleton Way and Blessington Road. An additional one-bedroom apartment would be available for visiting relatives or overnight assistance, if required. The remainder of the site, facing Belmont Park, would be used to provide private housing in apartment blocks.

The Belmont Park Almshouses were demolished in 2017.

 

Current status

The new almshouses, now known as Christopher Boone's Court, opened in 2019. Redevelopment of the site had cost £25m. Four apartment blocks along Belmont Park were put on sale on the open market to help fund the development.

Of the 62 almshouses, the 32 single-bedroom ones belong to the Merchant Taylors Boone's Charity for the use of their beneficiaries. The almshouses have a lift, a lounge, a hobby room, a conservatory and a garden shared by the residents. There is also a Careline alarm service and a part-time non-resident manager.

The 30 two-bedroom properties are available under a Shared Ownership scheme with One Housing for those aged over 57 years.
N.B. Photographs obtained in March 2020

 Christopher Boone's Court

The entrance to the new almshouses - Christopher Boone's Court - on Blessington Road.

Christopher Boone's Court

The arms of the Merchant Taylors Company are displayed on the side of the entrance building (above and below).

Christopher Boone's Court

 

Christopher Boone's Court

The almshouses are 3-storey buildings with balconies.

Christopher Boone's Court

Threadneedle House, with mainly 3-bedroom apartments, at the corner of Middleton Way and Belmont Park.

Christopher Boone's Court

Four villas, named Billingshurst House, have been built along Belmont Park as private housing to help offset the cost of the almshouse project (above and below).  They contain 3- and 4-bedroom duplexes.

Christopher Boone's Court

References (Accessed 18th August 2020)

http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk

https://runner500.wordpress.com

www.bdonline.co.uk

www.housingcare.org

www.insidehousing.co.uk

www.merchant-taylors.co.uk

www.rydon.co.uk

Last updated 18th August 2020

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