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The Whitgift Almshouses

1 Welcome

to the Whitgift Almshouses, officially known as the Hospital of the Holy Trinity. Thousands
of people pass the buildings on the corner of George Street and North End in the centre of Croydon,
but do not know about the community of elderly residents who occupy the flats inside.

2 Residents

have to have local connections, be over 60, members of the Church of England, and be
able to live independent lives, while still willing to share in many of the communal activities.

3 The

Almshouses were founded by John Whitgift, who was Archbishop of Canterbury in the time of
Queen Elizabeth the First, built between 1596 and 1599 with local bricks and tiles. In the 16th
Century there was widespread poverty in England, to which Whitgift himself responded as he had
great concern for the poor and needy.

4 Whitgift's

link with Croydon stemmed from the fact that there was an Archbishop's Palace there,
now the Old Palace School. Archbishop Whitgift had long associations with Cambridge, including being
Master of Trinity College, and this may well have influenced his quadrangle design for the Hospital of
the Holy Trinity.

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The Quadrangle

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5 Two

plaques show the foundation date and the 1860 restoration. There was originally a well near the
West entrance, and the clock with one hand dates from 1608.

6 The

bell is rung for chapel services, and the stipend ceremony at 10am on Fridays, when each
resident is given a small sum of money. Above the East entrance is a bishop's mitre, and the central
astrolabe installed to commemorate 400 years from Whitgift's death includes a sundial and pointers
to places linked with his life.

7 Originally

there were about 30 residents' rooms, but by 1983 these were converted into 16 en-suite
flats with a 24-hour call system for the care of the residents and emergencies. The outside appearance
of the Almshouses was preserved, and the internal character of the flats was retained.

8 Residents'

flats occupy three sides of the quadrangle, the fourth side has the Foundation's Offices,
part of which were Archbishop Whitgift's apartments where he spent time in quiet away from his
responsibilities. There was a dining room which is now the Clerk to the Foundation's office, and a
bedroom above with heavy door, secret lock, and guard's alcove for protection.

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Audience Chamber

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9 The

large Audience Chamber, now used for the Court of Governors of the Foundation and other
meetings has oak panelling, original fireplace, and Whitgift's elm table and stool. On the walls are the
letters patent issued by Queen Elizabeth the First and Whitgift's Deed of Covenant, both originals.

10 The

small Whitgift portrait was lost, but re-appeared at auction about 1890 and was acquired for
the Almshouse. There is an Armada chest of a type used for deeds, documents and money, and a rare
ancient Bible, along with several interesting artefacts and pictures relating to the Foundation.

11 The

swan sign came from the adjacent 15th century Swan Inn demolished about 1889, used to
board boys from the school which Whitgift founded in George Street.

12 The Victorian

school buildings which stood on the site of the present Whitgift Centre were
demolished in 1965. Today there are three Whitgift Foundation schools: Old Palace for girls, Whitgift
School for boys, and Trinity Schools for boys with a co-educational sixth form, all with generous
bursaries and scholarships available.

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Common Room

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13 Beneath

the Audience Chamber is the Common Room, used by the residents for social events.
Whitgift himself sometimes ate with the residents, and if he had been with the Queen he would 'pass
the honour' on to them. Plaques in the entrances commemorate Queen Elizabeth the Second's

visits, in 1983, and 1996 for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Almshouses.

14 The

Common Room has an original fireplace with John Whitgift's initials I W (the Latin form), a
sanctus bell dated 1753 which once hung in the tower, and two paintings of the Almshouses dated
about 1900. The oak frame contains an original part of Whitgift's tomb damaged in the 1867 Croydon
Minster fire, the tomb itself being later restored.

15 Various

re-set ancient, and modern glass, in the windows include a painted scene of a ravine with
soldiers of the Armada period, and a reference to Edward Aylworth, a lawyer, who paid three pounds
four shillings and two pence for glazing around 1598.

16 The

Almshouses have three ghosts: the guard who fell asleep and broke his neck, the assassin who
was shot, and the grey lady who smokes a pipe.

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Chapel

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17 The

chapel is used regularly for services, and its original backless pews made of chestnut were
moved to the walls in 1991, the panelling dating from 1640. A portrait of Whitgift shows items
representing his life and the period, including a magnetic compass, and another picture is of his niece
and housekeeper, Jane Whitgift Bradbury. The plaque of 1600 shows quotations referring to the poor,
andopposite are the Ten Commandments shown with Moses on the left.

18 When

the blue door dated 1836 facing North End is closed, the residents can access it by the small
door in the centre, known as the cat-flap. The Latin inscription above reads 'He who gives to the poor
shall not lack', and the motto on the door 'He conquers who endures'.

19 High

up on the gable are Whitgift's initials I W, and a plaque about the Almshouse is on the South
wall. Above the chapel window are the words 'A man of York gave this window 1597', it was the
Archbishop's chaplain.

20 As

well as the Almshouses, there is now further provision for the elderly at Whitgift House, South
Croydon, and Wilhelmina House in Addiscombe, and a support service for carers in the community.

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Whitgift's vision continues in providing care for the elderly and education for the young.

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