The Rest, 7-15 Covert Road, Reydon

Image: © Jo and Steve Turner Taken: 15 Jun 2017

Grade II Listed, Reydon's Alms houses opened in 1908. The benefactor was Andrew Matthews, a successful art dealer. It was a charitable housing development for eight people. Residents had to be natives of Southwold, to have lived there for more than twenty years, to have a limited income, to be over 65 years of age and to be of good physical and mental health. One unusual rule was that any resident displaying a certain photograph of his wife, Ellen, on her birthday, was given a 5 shilling reward. When built they had no running water, electricity or gas and no WC they were, however, fully furnished to a high standard. The first male resident was John Page, a marshman.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0