This year represents 550 years since the founding of Browne\u2019s Hospital on Stamford\u2019s Broad Street. The almshouses are a Grade II* property founded by William and Margaret Brown with a letter patent granted by Richard III. Open to the public every Bank Holiday Monday and Saturdays from June to the end of September, the hospital and its almshouses offer a fascinating insight into Stamford\u2019s history<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffOne of Stamford\u2019s best kept secrets, perhaps? Well, maybe not a secret. Let\u2019s just say that Browne\u2019s Hospital is such an established presence in the town that it\u2019s easy to take it for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its ecclesiastical architecture gives the impression that the building is one of Stamford\u2019s medieval churches, but although Browne\u2019s Hospital does incorporate a chapel, it was created by its namesakes \u2013 the wealthy Stamford wool merchants William and Margaret Browne \u2013 as an estate of almshouses for 10 poor men and two poor women in 1475 and was also home for the Guild of All Saints, of which Browne was an alderman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today it\u2019s still used for the purposes of providing almshouse accommodation, but even locals will be forgiven for not realising that Browne\u2019s Hospital is open to the public either from private tours or for everyone on Bank Holidays Mondays and Saturdays from June to the end of September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Wallington is one of the trustees who cares for the property and is responsible for maintaining the Grade II* building\u2019s fabric… which is no small undertaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWilliam and Margaret established Browne\u2019s Hospital and funded it themselves,\u201d says David. \u201cThey lived next door and the buildings they created served both as a guild hall and almshouse. In 1548 guilds were abolished and room above the dormitory became the Audit Room for the almshouse where the Warden would present the financial accounts to the Vicar of All Saints and the Dean of Stamford for their approval.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWanting to ensure the building would continue to provide for those in need, William applied by Letters Patent to the King to incorporate the almshouse \u2013 in effect creating a charity \u2013 to cover the 12 poor people in addition to the two clergy running the almshouse: a Warden and his deputy, the Confrater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRichard III awarded Browne\u2019s Hospital a licence (often referred to as a charter) just before his death in 1485. In 1488 William gave half his estate (around 2,000 acres Stamford and its surrounding counties) to the building for its maintenance. This land was all sold at the beginning of the 20th century and the money invested at that time continues to ensure the future of the charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWilliam and Margaret died in 1489 and 1490 respectively, whereupon Margaret’s brother, Thomas Stokkes completed the foundation by obtaining a second licence from Henry VII and writing the statutes \u2013 or rules of the almshouse \u2013 which remained relevant until 1964. The last warden left in 1987.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMen lived in individual cubicles in a dormitory (the current Board Room) and this opened directly into the chapel where there was twice daily prayer. Worship in the chapel was obligatory until this time. The poor worshipped at All Saints on a Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe two women who shared a room elsewhere on the site served as nurses, whilst the Warden and Confrater also lived on site. Each of the poor received a small stipend out of which they bought their own food. We know the men had a blue cloak and in 1828 were given the uniform which remained in use until about 1960.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the middle of the 19th Century the site was suffering from dilapidation. Plans were even made to tear down all the buildings and build a new almshouse in its place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end the original building facing Broad Street was retained and individual cottages built around a lawned area. The new Warden’s House was built on Broad Street but it is now rented out as office space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More recently, a new Scheme of Management in 1964 was created and the almshouse was opened to both sexes and to married couples. The Hospital became responsible to the Charity Commission in 1854 when the first Scheme of Management was drawn up. Today, Browne\u2019s Hospital belongs to the Almshouse Association to which the custodians turn for help with best practice and general advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSadly, we know little of those who lived in the Hospital over the centuries although they would have come, not only from Stamford, but surrounding villages. But one person stands out,\u201d says David. \u201cIn 1857 William Ball celebrated his 100th birthday and the Warden, Revd Charles Nevinson, asked Elizabeth Higgins, who had a photograph establishment in Maiden Lane, to take his portrait which is now in the Hospital archive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWilliam even got an obituary in the Stamford Mercury when he died just short of his 104th birthday. It drew a veil over some of his exploits when a young man stated that William admitted committing every crime except murder!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, Browne\u2019s Hospital\u2019s accommodation comprises 13 flats arranged around the cloister garden, each self-contained and with a lounge, kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In years gone by the criteria for accommodation within the Almshouses was based on poverty and religious commitment: being able to recite the Lord\u2019s prayer and having led a \u2018good life.\u2019 Today the criteria is need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, David and the rest of the trustees would like to see more Stamford residents discovering for themselves the history of the building and its architecture, as well as the collection of antiquities within… for example, the ecclesiastical map of Lincolnshire showing the Saxon wapentakes which once divided up the area. Meanwhile two 16th century painted panels in the Audit Room which were cleaned and stabilised a couple of years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also on view is the oak-topped table dating back from 1583 and a massive iron-bound chest originally used to store the Foundation Documents and other precious possessions of the Hospital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latter was secured by three padlocks and could be opened only when the Warden, the Vicar of All Saints’ Church and one of the men were all present each with his own key. An additional item on display is the late medieval alms box which was used to collect money to distribute to the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another link to the building\u2019s past at the bottom of the staircase is a brass plaque that dates back to 1497 and records the original creed of the hospital and the purposes behind the building\u2019s foundation. It\u2019s history of which the trustees are also keen to acknowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re proud to celebrate our 550th year with a number of events thought the year,\u201d says David. \u201cWe are planning events ranging from Gilbert & Sullivan in the Common Room to historical re-enactments, such as a visit in May from Richard III who granted the first charter in 1485.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hope that this year we\u2019ll have a chance to offer tours and invite people into a building they might otherwise walk past each day, understanding more of its history and the effort that is required to ensure its survival for future generations. We would welcome more volunteers to ensure that the building remains open to visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n