ALMSHOUSES OF LONDON

 

 

Cinque Cottages

Crooked Billet, Wimbledon, SW19 4RQ 

 

In 1872 Sir Henry William Peek, MP for East Surrey, erected five cottages on the corner of Wimbledon Common for use as almshouses. The site had previously contained some dwellings named Cinque Cottages, built in the 1770s, and the name was used again for the almshouses.

The cottages were intended for five pensioners and their wives and children who had lived, and been ratepayers, for at least five years in one or more of the 40 parishes of Mid-Surrey. Each cottage was free of rent, rates and taxes.

The pensioners had to be of good character and in needy circumstances, but not under 55 years of age. They were not allowed to have a yearly income of more than £30 beyond the pension. Each pensioner received an annual pension of £36 out of the income of the trust. In the event of a pensioner dying, his widow had to leave the cottage, but received an annual pension of £18.

In 1987 the almshouses were gutted and converted into eight one-bedroom apartments.

 

Current status

The almshouses are owned and managed by the Cinque Cottages Charity, with Harrison Housing providing repairs and maintenance services.

N.B. Photographs obtained in July 2020

Cinque Cottages

The almshouses at the southeast edge of Wimbledon Common (above and below).

Cinque Cottages

 

Cinque Cottages

The front elevation bears a stone plaque.

Cinque Cottages

The northwest corner of the buildings.

Cinque Cottages

A stone plaque on the western elevation reads:

THE CINQUE COTTAGES

The original five cottages on this site were built by Sir Henry William Peek MP in 1872. After conversion financed by the Housing Corporation, the building was re-opened by the Corporation's Chief Executive, Mr David Edmonds, on 20th July 1989.

CWJ Scoble-Hodgins Esq. Clerk to the Trustees.

References (Accessed 9th December 2020)

McNeill-Ritchie S, Elam R 2016 Wimbledon & Southfields Through Time. Stroud, Amberley Publishing.

Richardson RWV 1888 Surbiton. Thirty-two Years of Local Self-Government 1855-1887. Surbiton, Bull & Son. 51-52.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org

https://hidden-london.com

https://londongardenstrust.org

https://summerstown182.files.wordpress.com

www.housingcare.org

www.merton.gov.uk

Last updated 9th December 2020

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