Sir William Turner's Almshouses
Renovation and Redevelopment
Sir William Turner and his Almshouses
Classics at Kirkleatham
Applying to live at Kirkleatham Almshouses
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Location of Sir William Turner's Almshouses
Regular Worship in the Chapel
Contact Information for Sir William Turners Hospital
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The Turner Family
 William Turner was born at Guisborough in 1615. In 1623 his father bought the Kirkleatham Estate and built Kirkleatham Hall. On leaving home as a young man, William moved to London where he made his fortune, wholesaling fabrics as a merchant tailor.
He was knighted by King Charles II in recognition of his many public works. In 1668, two years after the Great Fire of London, Sir William was the City's Lord Mayor. His management ability was highly praised as he worked with Wren the architect and with the Crown to rebuild the city. A decade later, Sir William used his wealth to build the Almshouses at Kirkleatham.
Sir William never married and on his death in 1692 aged 77, control of his Almshouses passed to his nephew and eventually to a great-nephew, Cholmley Turner. In 1709, Cholmley built a free school at Kirkleatham that now houses the Kirkleatham Old Hall Museum. In 1742, fifty years after Sir William’s death, Cholmley remodelled the Almshouses and enhanced the beautiful Chapel at its centre.
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The Almspeople
 For over 330 years the Hospital has provided sheltered housing for people in their retirement. Originally they were mainly estate workers who had become too old to take care of themselves.
Today, the thirty residents are mainly active people who have moved to Kirkleatham from all parts of Great Britain.
Residents sort the bric-a-brac at
the annual Garden Party.
For more than two and a half centuries, ending in the 1940s, free schooling and accommodation were provided for ten boys and ten girls from the age of nine to sixteen. For any years, the girls trained for domestic service and the boys mainly for maritime service.
Today, the almshouses are offered to 'people with identifiable needs'. Need is more likely to be a social than a financial need. An elderly person who is constantly harassed on a housing estate or a person living in isolation may have identifiable needs.
For information about living at Sir William Turner's Almshouses, click on the side-bar to read the page APPLYING TO LIVE AT KIRKLEATHAM or address enquiries to The Clerk to the Trustees,
1 Sir William Turner's Court, Kirkleatham, Redcar TS10 1AF
Tel. 01642 482828 or use the e-mail form on this website.
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The Almshouses
 The word Hospital in the formal title is used in the archaic sense - a place offering hospitality. This was never a medical institution.
Each almshouse is a small self-contained cottage or flat with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom and enjoys the support of a Resident Warden and a 24 hour emergency warden service
The living room of one of the
first floor properties.
Most are designed for single occupants but several are suitable for couples and some have two bedrooms. There is a Community Room for social activities, small allotment gardens for active residents, extensive gardens and several garages.
There is a small twin-bedded hotel type suite where visiting relatives may stay at a nominal cost.
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The 17th century Chapel
 The Chapel is virtually unaltered since it was re-modelled in 1742. It contains Sir William's Death Mask and other interesting artefacts. There are acts of worship on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays each month and regular piano recitals and chamber music concerts. For details of current concerts, click on Classics at Kirkleatham on the side bar menu or below.
The Chapel is open to organised groups by appointment throughout the year. It has also proved a popular venue for small business meetings, training sessions, 'quiet' days and as a meeting place for local voluntary organisations.
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The Community Room
 The Residents' Common Room also serves as a Community Room. Built at a cost of £85,000 it was opened in 2001, on the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Almshouses.
Seating Capacities:
Reception (minimal seating) 60
Theatre style - 40
Work groups - 24
Board Room - 12
"Class Act" guitar group entertain
in the Community Room
There is a fully equipped kitchen adjacent to the Common Room, making it an ideal facility for small conferences, 'quiet days', training sessions and meetings.
It is wheel-chair friendly with level access into and throughout the building and with a properly equipped accessible toilet. There is ample parking in the adjacent Almshouse Gardens and the main courtyard.
Address enquiries to The Clerk to the Trustees, 1 Sir Wiliam Turner's Court, Kirkleatham, Redcar TS10 1AF, Tel. 01642 482828 or use the MAIL FORM below or on the side-bar menu. |
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