Description by Pauline Walters
A thousand years of men and women living and dying in these ancient almshouses and yet hundreds of people pass it each day, maybe noticing the arched wooden doors and maybe not, among the shops and eateries of Northgate.
Inside the gates, a vista appears, more suited to a country hamlet than the midst of a busy city and roaring traffic. Carefully tended gardens and flowerbeds, flint homes, a surprising quietude and a sense of timelessness greet the visitor.
Founded in the eleventh century by Archbishop Lanfranc for sixty poor and infirm men and women, St John’s is the sister house of St Nicholas, Harbledown, the leper hospital and these are possibly the earliest almshouses in England. How did such an ancient foundation last for ten centuries? The answer is its original funding of £140 pa, about £240,000 in today’s money, and numerous grants, endowments, alms and lands, some of which have been sold this century and funded several refurbishments and new buildings.
Look for the massive C13th chests in the refectory and the Tudor staircase in the same building. Best of all is the necessarium. How much clearer and more delightful is ‘necessarium’ than ‘loo’ or ‘toilet’ or all the other euphemisms! Imagine a row of seats above a trench that emptied into the Stour and be thankful for modern conveniences!
And thankful too that St John’s and St Nicholas’ are still here for us to visit and appreciate their living histories.
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