Stow Alms Houses

Welcome to the historic market square of Stow-on-the Wold. At nearly 800ft above sea level, Stow is the highest Cotswold town. It is located at a point where the Roman Fosse Way and several other ancient routes cross and it has evolved as an important trading centre and meeting place with a history deeply steeped in the wool trade. It has a long history dating back to an Iron Age fortified settlement on top of the hill and had a special importance in the first English Civil War as the last battle was fought here back in 1646.

The almshouses on the southwest side of St. Edward’s Church in Stow-on-the Wold were founded by William Chester, a wealthy London benefactor, in his will of 1476. He also provided an annuity of £18 a year to support the almsfolk derived from property he owned known as the Glebe, in Tooley Street, London. By 1594 these predominantly wooden structures were in ruins and were rebuilt by Richard Shepham, another wealthy London benefactor who had acquired the Glebe lands. Richard also built the Grammar School in front of the almshouses and provided a £24 annuity for the almsfolk and upkeep of the almshouses and an additional £12 a year for the schoolmaster, the annuities were again derived from the Glebe. The almshouses were rebuilt again in two blocks at right angles in the mid-nineteenth century, they have the welcome addition of fireplaces and chimneys. These buildings remain to the present day however they have been modified internally to make six larger almshouses replacing the original nine rather cramped ones. The Charity of Richard Shepham is at the root of our governing scheme.