SLOBS Soc of Leasco Old Boys and Auld Gals

Fiends of Jesus

July 6^th, 2009.

The story so far.....Jesus Hospital, Bray, Berkshire

Jesus Hospital, a quadrangle of single-storey almshouses, was built and bequeathed to the ‘aged poor’ of Bray by William Goddard, who declared that they should remain ‘almshouses forever’.

On his memorial at St. Michael’s church, Bray, it is written:

‘Their better monument and one that will survive when brass and marble fail,
are the neighbouring alms houses in this place called Jesus Hospital.
Which William Goddard being a citizen of London
and a member of the ancient Guild or Mistery of Fishmongers of that City
did at his sole charge found and endow
for the benefit of forty inmates being aged infirm and suitable objects of the charity
constituting the aforesaid Guild or Mistery of Fishmongers
the perpetual trustees and governor.

The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers’ no longer wishes to maintain these almshouses and, together with a smaller group of almshouses in Kent, have decided to transfer trusteeship to Bristol Charities.

This new proposed ‘trustee’ has already announced plans to move residents out, sell this historic and valuable site and build more almshouses somewhere else. Jesus Hospital, well-maintained though it is, is suddenly ‘not fit for purpose’ after 400 years. And all this has been decided without consultation. The Fishmongers’ have spoken of not meeting current legislation and fire regulations. There is no evidence of either, our independent experts have disproved these allegations and we have been misled.

Bristol Charities have taken over a number of historic almshouses, they have then deemed them unsuitable to house older people, the residents are moved into temporary accommodation and the site is sold for development....

At a later date, the new almshouses are built, as some multi-storey, larger complex suitable for the frail and infirm.

According to David Jones, Chief Executive of Bristol Charities, only about a third of the original residents get to move into the new buildings. One can only guess at what happens to the other two thirds, but the stress of moving is not beneficial to health.

A meeting took place on Monday 29^th June 2009 when Mr Keith Waters of The Fishmongers’ Company and Mr David Jones of Bristol Charities attended and provided a presentation to those present. The meeting was attended by the beneficiaries of the Almshouses, Local Councillors and residents of Bray village. The overwhelming feeling of all those present at the meeting (save for Mr Waters and Mr Jones) was that if an alternative could be considered to save the Almshouses, this would be the preferred option.

During the meeting Mr Waters and Mr Jones specifically confirmed that there was no intention to immediately transfer the Almshouses from The Fishmongers’ to Bristol Charities, that indeed they could not do so without authority from the Charity Commission and without a 28 day consultation period, which had not yet commenced. It was made very clear during the meeting by those present that there would be many objections to this transfer.

Why then has Neil Robertson of The Charity Commission recently confirmed:

‘We are currently working with both the Fishmongers’ Company and Bristol Charities and have agreed in principle to the transfer of trusteeship.’

David Jones openly admitted at the meeting that his previous requests to take over trusteeship or to sell almshouse sites had never been declined by the Charity Commission. In fact, David Jones says in his ‘customer profile’ on The Charity Commission website:

‘Take, for example, our recent sale of a Nineteenth Century Almshouse. This was a beautiful old building with considerable history, but it simply wasn’t an appropriate home for elderly people. For a start, there was very limited wheelchair access and its listed status meant that we were unable to update this. With the Charity Commission’s help, we were able to persuade the local community that the sale really was in their best interests…’

Why must we move older people to purpose-built modern boxes, with wheelchair ramps and bars and hoists that they don’t need or want? There is no problem with making certain adaptations to Grade I listed buildings provided they have been thought out.

Dr Kathryn Davies at English Heritage says:

‘At English Heritage we try to assist owners and occupiers of historic buildings to meet their needs without damaging the special interest of the building. Access can pose particularly difficult challenges but often these can be overcome. Buildings are listed in their entirety, front and back, inside and out, so any alterations may require listed building consent. That is not to say that change cannot be accommodated, rather that it needs to be approached carefully and with a full understanding of the building’s significance. There are many examples of important Grade I buildings which have been altered to facilitate access.’

Building a block of flats on an urban wasteland in Slough or Maidenhead is not an option. Jesus Hospital is an almshouse in Bray and one of the most historic and well-known sites in the Borough. It has been referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the locality and the subject of many historical writings. There is a painting of the building hanging in the Tate.

Land registry shows this site was registered on November 2007 and has restrictive covenants in place, but these are not described. The Fishmonger’s are not forthcoming as to what these are.

As a result a group has been formed to help save the almshouses. We are the ‘Friends of the Almshouse at Jesus Hospital’ and we comprise of villagers, local historians and beneficiaries who wish to remain in their homes. We are also grateful for the on-going support of Sir Michael Parkinson, Rolf Harris and other high profile villagers.

We are aiming to obtain a 28 day consultation period from the Charity Commission to enable us to put together an alternative proposal. We have also instructed the London law firm Finers Stephens Innocent to act on our behalf. This requires fund-raising, with details to follow.

We cannot lose the community that has existed as long as Bray itself, at its heart.

Once it is sold, it is gone forever and this legacy is forgotten.

Further Links:

http://www.berkshirehistory.com/churches/bray_goddard.html

http://www.charitycommissionjobs.org.uk/customer-profiles/bristol-charities/

http://www.bristolcharities.org.uk/annual_report_2008.asp

Our petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jesushospital

Please look at quotes.

c. Adele Kilby 6 July 2009