Welcome to the Marshfield Almshouses website...
This site contains information about the Almshouses, their history, the charity that manages them, the trustees, the renovation, and fundraising events.
The pictures below show the start of the renovation work.
This next picture shows the new rear extensions and the changes to the rear elevations half way through the renovation phases.
You can contact the trustees via email by clicking on the following link email.
Introduction
The Almshouses were established by Marshfield family the Crispes. Thomas Crispe bought an acre of land at the west end of the town of Marshfield upon which his wealthy first cousins, Nicholas and Ellis Crispe erected the building, bequeathing it "for an almshouse for the poor of the said town and parish."
There are eight houses, four on either side of a chapel which has a small spire above and a porch attached to the front of it. There are eight gables, one above each house. An inscription on the western gable records that it was placed there by Thomas, son of Nicholas Crispe, on 10th of August 1612. For more information please click on the 'History' tab at the top of the page.
Management and Conservation
The almshouses are managed by Marshfield Consolidated Charities, and charitable trust set up in 1913. All activities of the trust are documented within this web site, including minutes and financial reports. For more information please click on the 'Trustees' tab at the top of the page.
Although many improvements have been made to the properties in the past, there is now a need to undertake further work. To be attractive to potential residents and to fully meet their needs, the property must be brought up to a good modern standard. This is necessary both in terms of the quality of the accommodation and, because the property is intended to be affordable to local people, it should be easy and inexpensive to use. Currently, the houses have poor insulation values and use of a central heating system precludes resident choice and can lead to higher heating bills. Inevitably, when improvements are done, they must be undertaken to current Building Regulation standards, which may require additional works. For more information please click on the 'Renovation' tab at the top of the page.
The cost of these works has been estimated at £561,000 at today's prices including VAT and fees. With the limited reserves currently held by the Trust, this is an extremely challenging task., however grants have been obtained, many fundraising events have taken place, and the trust is now ready to embark on the first phase of the renovation work. For more information about fundraising activities please click on the 'Fundraising' tab at the top of the page.
Page updated 26th June 2007.