Watford: The Bedford Almshouses
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Watford: The Bedford Almshouses by Nigel Cox as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Watford: The Bedford Almshouses
Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 28 Jan 2006
Constructed in 1580 by the 2nd Earl of Bedford, these are the oldest houses in Watford, and were built "for eight poor women". The almshouses are Grade II Listed and the Historic England website describes them thus:- "Bedford and Essex Almshouses. Formerly listed as The Lord Essex Almshouses. 1580 row of 8 almshouse cottages. Rendered, one storey and attic. Plain tile roofs with 4 massive paired brick chimney stacks. Regular front of 3 big gables and 2 smaller end gables. Overhanging eaves. Wood mullioned windows, 4-light in large gables, 2-light in end gables and ground floor. Simply moulded door openings, paired in central 3 sections. Queen strut roof trusses with straight bracing. Built by Francis, 2nd Earl of Bedford to house 8 poor women from Watford, Chenies and Langley."
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Image Location
Latitude
51.653641
Longitude
-0.396866