Description
John Betts House was built in 1964 as almshouses for elderly people of Hammersmith in memory of Dr John Betts (1799-1875) by the Hammersmith United Charities. This was set up in 1923 to amalgamate the large number of small charities that provided for the elderly poor in Hammersmith. The almshouses are on land bequeathed by Betts that the Charities held as investment property. The rectangular building surrounds an enclosed communal garden planted with grass, trees, shrubs and flower beds. Behind the almshouses is the residents' vegetable garden.
Practical Information
| Site location | Goldhawk Road / Rylett Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | W12 9NJ |
| What3Words | ///silks.walks.means |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping; |
| Borough | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | Has opened for London Open Gardens |
| Public Transport | Tube: Stamford Brook (District). Bus: 94, 237, 272 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
John Betts House is part of the Hammersmith United Charities' Almshouses, and was built in 1964 as accommodation for elderly people of Hammersmith in memory of Dr John Betts (1799-1875), on land he had bequeathed that the Charities held as investment property. A plaque on the site records that Betts 'gave this land and other property upon educational and charitable trusts in 1859'. The almshouses were originally built as a 2-storey rectangular building around an enclosed communal garden, but in the 1990s a third floor was added as part of major refurbishment; there are now 39 flats, with a guest flat and warden accommodation, and communal lounge and other facilities. Today the well-planted central garden has lawn, trees and shrubs, flower beds and a fountain. Hanging baskets and residents' container gardens adorn the balconies overlooking the garden, which is a past gold medal-winner in the London Gardens Society and Hammersmith and Fulham in Bloom. Behind the almshouses is the residents' vegetable garden with raised beds and a greenhouse, which is on land that was formerly stables of an old estate.
Hammersmith United Charities was set up in 1923 to amalgamate the large number of small charities that provided for the elderly poor in Hammersmith. The earliest of these was Dr Edwards and Bishop King's Fulham Charity, established as a result of the gift made in 1618 of £100 by Dr Thomas Edwards to enable land to be purchased for the poor in Fulham, shortly followed in 1620 by a gift of £20 by Bishop John King, after whom Hammersmith's King Street is named. Hammersmith became a separate parish from Fulham in 1834 and in 1863 the income and assets of the combined Charities of Dr Edwards and Bishop King were divided equally between a Fulham and Hammersmith branch, the latter later to become Hammersmith United Charities. From the C17th onwards individual benefactors continued to set up small charities with similar purposes, one such being Dr Betts. Hammersmith United Charities continues to provide for the well-being of elderly people in Hammersmith, and in addition to John Betts House, has Sycamore House providing 28 flats, which opened in 1955 and Gloucester House, a care home that opened in 1987.
Hammersmith United Charities was set up in 1923 to amalgamate the large number of small charities that provided for the elderly poor in Hammersmith. The earliest of these was Dr Edwards and Bishop King's Fulham Charity, established as a result of the gift made in 1618 of £100 by Dr Thomas Edwards to enable land to be purchased for the poor in Fulham, shortly followed in 1620 by a gift of £20 by Bishop John King, after whom Hammersmith's King Street is named. Hammersmith became a separate parish from Fulham in 1834 and in 1863 the income and assets of the combined Charities of Dr Edwards and Bishop King were divided equally between a Fulham and Hammersmith branch, the latter later to become Hammersmith United Charities. From the C17th onwards individual benefactors continued to set up small charities with similar purposes, one such being Dr Betts. Hammersmith United Charities continues to provide for the well-being of elderly people in Hammersmith, and in addition to John Betts House, has Sycamore House providing 28 flats, which opened in 1955 and Gloucester House, a care home that opened in 1987.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ220792 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Hammersmith United Charities |
| Site Management | Hammersmith United Charities (Gardener: Jackie Thompson) |
| Dates | 1964 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Ravenscourt and Starch Green |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Stamford Brook Common is a small triangular area of former common land preserved under the Commons Registration Act, 1965. It was enclosed as a recreation ground in c.1890 and is largely grass with trees and shrubs around the railed periphery, with a playground. The land is part owned by the Borough of Hammersmith, the remainder subject to the protection of the Local Authority under Section 9 of the Commons Registration Act 1965.
Starch Green is so-called as the site was once used for a laundry green. It was a flooded brick pit that was filled by an unnamed stream that flowed from Wormwood Scrubs down the Askew Road. The land was conveyed to the Hammersmith Vestry free of charge in 1894. The pond refilled gradually post-1926 and was planted up with shrubs. Originally entirely surrounded by roads, the north side was paved in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s the end of Ashchurch Grove was closed and paved. A raised bed planted with periwinkle was built and much of the planting is recent although there is one mature London plane tree.
Ravenscourt Park Hospital was designed by architects Sir John Burnet, Tait and Lorne as the Royal Masonic Hospital, a new hospital for the Freemasons. It later became a private hospital, was leased to the NHS in 2002 but has been closed since 2006. The original hospital buildings and gardens were laid out with fine Art Deco detailing, the landscaping in front of the main entrance integral with the design of the boundary wall and entrance. To the south and overlooked on 3 sides, the garden was laid out with lawns, planted with numerous shrubs, conifers and flower beds, with a central elongated rectangular water feature with fountains and lilies.