Willam Sevenoke and his Almshouses.

Today there are some sixteen hundred almshouses throughout the country providing much needed accommodation for people of retirement age with limited means. The Sevenoaks Almshouses are among the oldest and have survived for almost six hundred years.

This is the first book to record its special story from its foundations to the present day. It provides an account of the remarkable life of William Sevenoke who, from his humble beginnings as a foundling, became a wealthy merchant and came to play a really significant part in the government of the City of London.

The book explains how the almshouses were managed and how, with the help of local benefactors, they have been able to survive for so long. It shows how despite its lack of funds it managed to employ a leading Georgian architect to design its new building at the start of the 18th century. It sheds light on its occupants: ‘men and women in reduced circumstances due to unforeseen misfortune', who were fortunate enough to secure a place in the almshouses. It describes who they were and how they were they chosen and what benefits they gained from securing a place in the almshouse. The story is brought up to date by explaining how the present almshouses have been altered to meet today’s needs.

This brief history is available from Sevenoaks Bookshop at £9.99.