Look to your left and you’ll spot a row of honey-coloured stone cottages with charming pointed arches and detailed carvings just above the doorways-almost like something from a fairy tale book.
Now, imagine you’re back in 1869-there are no planes overhead, but perhaps you hear the gentle clatter of a horse-drawn cart or the murmur of church bells from nearby All Saints. Before you stands Sir William Powell’s Almshouses, built with the noble aim of giving older women a safe, snug place to live long before “retirement communities” were all the rage. There are twelve cosy flats in total, and if these walls could talk, I bet they’d have some cracking tales! Built by the good Sir William, their unmistakable pointed roofs and patterned stonework shielded generations from London’s tempests. And here’s the twist-centuries later, they’re managed by the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation, still embracing those in need. The real magic? If you stick your nose near a window (don’t actually do it, you might get some odd looks!), you might catch the scent of someone's tea brewing or a faint chuckle drifting out-a reminder that behind these historic doors, life is still bubbling along just as warmly as it did over 150 years ago. This place isn’t just stone and mortar-it’s a legacy of care. Let’s hope one day, “almshouse chic” makes it big on Pinterest!
