Bishop Wood’s Almshouses, Lower Clapton Road E5

Clapton, History of Hackney

Any one know anything about this? Bishop Wood’s Almshouses, Lower Clapton Road they’ve been boarded up for a few months. i think the charity that owns them is unable to keep them open.they are Late C17 almshouses restored in the late C19.There is a small chapel that is not in use.

6 Comments

  1. @Tom-Massey This is all I’ve seen on them recently.http://claptonpond.org/bishops-wood-almshouses/2012/08/14/

  2. @Tom-Massey This has been submitted recently http://apps.hackney.gov.uk/servapps/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=196418&XSLT=/servapps/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/servapps/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Hackney/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING

    Conversion of existing 5 bedsits to 4 x 1 bedroom flats to increase the size of living space incorporating former chapel & washouse . Replacment of windows and doors. Replacement of fibrecement roofing over washouse with clad plaintile roof. Erection of meters and boiler cupboard. General repairs repainting and landscaping to courtyard.

  3. Hackney Gazette have published an article about the Almshouses claiming that they could be sold to a private developer after being empty since June 2012 http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/charity_confirms_fears_hackney_almshouses_could_be_sold_off_1_3321602

    Here is a little on the background of the alms houses http://planetbonner.blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/bishop-wood-almshouses.html from @michaelbonner

    The application that @benjamin mentioned above is currently with the status “FINAL DECISION”

  4. More on that tiny chapel (which seats 10)

    “Wood’s almshouses were restored in 1930. They survive as a single-storeyed red-brick building, with mullioned windows, on the east side of Lower Clapton Road. The central range has six tenements, all originally of one room, and projecting wings each have two tenements. A Gothic chapel in the angle of the north wing, described as 19th-century, (fn. 49) had been recently repaired in 1855 by J. C. Powell, the vicar of St. James’s, who instituted services. (fn. 50) It held ten seats and was described as Britain’s smallest chapel after the reopening of the requisitioned almshouses in 1948.”

    From: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22719

    and:
    “Founded in 1665 by Thomas Wood, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry and restored in 1888 & 1930. The tiny chapel added in the 19thc had pews only for the 10 resident widows.”

    From: http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/almshselist.htm

    Also some info here: http://www.londongardensonline.org.uk/gardens-online-record.asp?ID=HAC013

    Here’s a link to streetview currently showing them before they were boarded up

  5. They are now up for sale as reported in t b e Hackney Citizen http://hackneycitizen.co.uk/2014/02/25/bishop-wood-almshouses-sale/

  6. Looks like they’re actually on sale now. A snip for the lot at £1,250,000+ – which seems about market price for 5 studio flats and a chapel in Clapton these days.

    http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-45718838.html

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