Watford: Bedford Almshouses
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Watford: 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

Image: © Nigel Cox Taken: 22 Mar 2015
This row of 8 almshouses in Church Street dates from 1580 and is Grade II Listed. The Historic England website describes them thus:- "Bedford and Essex Almshouses (Numbers 1 to 8 consecutive), 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." Please see Image for a similar view in 2006.