Not to be confused with the splendid Trinity Green Almshouses which were more almshouses also run by Trinity House.
The almshouses were built on land given by Sir Richard Browne, Master of the Corporation, near St Nicholas' Church. The body responsible for licensing Thames pilots, Trinity House was also a guild whose services to members included providing housing for the needy. These 56 residences were specifically for 'decayed masters and commanders of ships, mates, and pilots, and their wives or widows'.
From Pepys Diary : "Deptford Almshouses: According to Darrell Spurgeon's book "Discover Deptford and Lewisham" the Trinity Almshouses were demolished in 1877. Referring to the Stowage {the name of the street immediately east of St Nicholas} site: "Trinity House was based here, immediately to the east of St Nicholas churchyard, from 1511 ... to 1660, when it moved to Water Lane in the City of London; in 1796 it moved to its present building on Tower Hill. The annual Court continued to be held in Deptford until 1852, and Trinity House almshouses remained on the site until 1877.""
Trinity House History reports a mention of the almshouses in Deptford in 1661 and has a drawing, with two views, captioned "A view of two distinct bodys of Almes-houses at Deptford in Kent belonging to y corporation of Trinity-House who built the lower part in y years 1671 & 1680". The drawing shows one of the 'bodys' (buildings) immediately east of the church. The only clue to the location of the other 'body' is the river that can be seen to the right.
Trinity House give a good summary of the Deptford almshouses but even here the location of the second almshouses is not specified, other than "upper ground" where: "Captain Richard Maples (d.1680) left to the Corporation £1,300 with which a hall and 18 additional almshouses were built, completing the quadrangle. the almshouses would stand until 1866, when they gradually fell into disrepair; the residents were gradually vacated and the site let out in 1875."
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
