Our History

Founded by Sir George Wright in 1600 on Gerry Hill, Petersham Road.

Founded by John Juxon, a relative of William Juxon, Archbishop of Canterbury. Later benefactors added further endowments, including John Juxon, grandson of Archbishop Juxon in 1769. The original almshouse buildings have been relocated on several occasions.

Founded by Brian Duppa, Bishop of Chichester, in 1660 and endowed by the gift of a farm at Shepperton. The almshouses were originally built at Friars Stile Lane. After the Restoration, Brian Duppa became the Bishop of Winchester.

10 almshouses were founded by Humphrey Michel in 1695. In 1727 William Smithet endowed the charity with property in Kew Foot Road and land now including Michel's Row and Rosedale Road.

In 1707 the Parish of Mortlake purchased 2 cottages from the Duke of Leeds which were rebuilt by Edward Colston, a Mortlake resident. By 1916 the site of Colston’s Almshouses at the corner of Sheen Lane and the Upper Richmond Road was required for road improvements. The original almshouse buildings have been relocated on several occasions. The Almshouses used to be called Colston’s Almshouses. In 2020 Edward Colston’s statue was toppled in Bristol. As well as being a local philanthropist, Edward Colston was a slave trader. The then Trustees of the Mortlake & Almshouse Relief Charities removed the plaque from the wall of the almshouses which commemorated Colston. The Almshouses are now called Christchurch Road Almshouses as the Trustees of both the previous Mortlake & Almshouse Relief Charities and now of The Richmond Charities do not feel it is appropriate to honour a slave trader in this way.

William Hickey died in 1728 and left property which increased so much in value that the Trustees used funds in 1834 to build 20 almshouses, Porter's & Nurse's Lodges and a Chapel on a site in Marshgate Lane, now Sheen Road.

Houblon's Almshouses were founded in 1758 by Rebecca Houblon and further endowed by her sister Susannah Houblon. These are the charity's oldest almshouses still standing.

The Church Estate is the oldest charity in Richmond and research indicates that the charity may date back to 1375. 10 almshouses were built in Sheen Road in 1843.

Church Estate also houses the charity’s Garden Room, a communal space for residents’ activities and events.

Candler Almshouses were built in 1936 to fulfil the bequest of William Candler who had died in 1907. They were originally owned and managed by Twickenham United Charities.

6 single storey almshouses were built with surplus money from Michel's Almshouse Charity in 1983.

10-18 Manning Place was built in 1993 and was bought by The Richmond Charities in 2017.

Wright’s Almshouses was built in 2019-2020 and was bought by The Richmond Charities in 2020.