By Roger Packham and Peter Connelly
Harman Atwood provided the almshouses in 1675 for two needy people from Warlingham, one from Sanderstead and one from Chelsham. However there were strict conditions to be met to be accepted. Poor applicants were not considered if they ‘spent their time or estates idly, loosely or wickedly, ‘specially in drinking, petty filching or purloining what belongs not to them..’. Even if accepted, residents had to behave, and would be evicted if they engaged in any ‘excessive drinking, frequent swearing, lying, backbiting or evil speaking, begging, pilfering, false dealing, harbouring a visitor overnight without permission, or for any foul disease or evil course of life or behaviour..’. But if they met the conditions, they would receive two shillings per week, plus every September a good load of wood for the fire. The almshouses were run by a group of trustees, appointed from the great and good of the area. However by the late 19th century, appointment of new trustees seems to have declined, and only the Rector of Sanderstead and the Vicar of Warlingham appear to be running the almshouses. With the risk of the buildings being condemned as unfit for habitation, urgent repairs were needed, and the vicar made a successful appeal for funds. Since then, a number of repairs and upgrades have been undertaken thanks to generous support from residents and the local council. The photo below shows the almshouses in a rather run-down state in 1950.
But in the below photo from 1955, the almshouses seem to have been done up, the ivy on the chimney and the tatty iron sheds have been removed and a resident is enjoying the garden.
In 1997 refurbishment included the addition of a new wing facing Chapel Road, to accommodate two more residents. The almshouses are Grade-2 listed, which affords a degree of protection for such an important part of the village’s history.
