Sir William Turner's Almshouses
Renovation and Redevelopment
Sir William Turner and his Almshouses
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The Renovation Project
 The entire building was stripped bare in 2000-2002. The exterior was restored to its original 17th century splendour. The interior was entirely remodelled with special care taken to preserve all the surviving 17th and 18th century features.
The former single-room bedsits were enlarged to create modern four roomed cottages, each with a living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The classrooms, library and museum of the former on-site school were remodelled into seven flats similar in size to the ground-floor cottages.
The new flats and cottages make life comfortable for residents with minor mobility restrictions. All stairs have chair lifts; all external doors have intercom's and remote-access latches. On average, each Almshouse cost over £57,000 to renovate.
The re-building project included a new Community Room, a Visitors' Suite and a laundry room.
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Prince Charles supports renovation scheme
 HRH The Prince of Wales launched the £1.4m renovation project in 2000. The work averaged £57,000 for each almshouse. Major funders included The Housing Corporation, Heritage Lottery Fund and Landfill Tax Credits from ICI. Completing the funding package was an interest free loan from the Almshouses Association.
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New Community Garden
 | The scented garden, a quiet corner of the Almshouse Gardens.
The Almshouses own 1.2 acres (0.5 ha) of adjoining land. Funded by the Single Regeneration Budget of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and Landfill Tax Credits contributed by Impetus Waste Management (formerly ICI), the land has been landscaped to provide a recreational area for residents of the Almshouses and for the neighbouring village of Kirkleatham.
Known as The Almshouse Gardens, it includes a large recreational lawn, a scented garden, wild-flower meadows and a number of educational and managed wild-life features in the woodland area.
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Plans to Renovate Courtyard
 The building stands round three sides of the 17th century courtyard. Over the centuries, many of the York flagstones have become badly worn and cracked. Successive layers of tarmac on the drive have raised the road level to such an extent that the ornate wrought iron gates no longer close.
There are plans to strip out the tarmac, restore the drive to its correct level and re-surface the drive with material more sympathetic to the 17th century style of the building. Other minor work includes the installation of wrought iron railings outside the entrances of the former School Master's and School Mistress's houses, at the head of the courtyard. This work is scheduled to begin as soon as funding becomes available.
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Can you support the Almshouses?
Income is derived solely from the weekly contributions of the almspeople. There is no endowment fund or hidden wealth. The annual surplus of income over expenditure is less than £1000.
Although the work is complete, gifts at any level can be assigned to individual elements of the project. The service trolley for the Common Room cost £120; two chairs in the Common Room cost £300; a Stairlift to the 1st floor costs £1500. Gifts at any level all help to reduce the outstanding loan and enable the Trustees to complete the project that much sooner.
To support Sir William Turner's Almshouses, contact the Clerk to the Trustees using the MAIL FORM or CONTACT INFORMATION tabs on the side-bar menu or below.
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