Description
William Atkinson and William Rainbird Almshouses were founded here in 1868 and garden for 30 years from 1868-99, after which the houses were rented, Acquired by LB Haringey in 1965 they are now sheltered accommodation for the elderly.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | William Staines Almshouses |
|---|---|
| Site location | 39-51 Beaufoy Road |
| Postcode | N17 8AY |
| What3Words | ///gift.scales.sleeps |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Haringey |
| Open to Public | No |
| Opening Times | private but partly visible from road |
| Public Transport | Rail: White Hart Lane then bus. Bus: W3 |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Sir William Staines was Deputy of St Giles Church Cripplegate, Master of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters, member of the Goldsmiths' and Skinners' Companies, and Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1801. He set up his charity in 1789 and the Staines Almshouses were in Jacob's Well Barbican in the City of London until the land was purchased for the Metropolitan Railway. New almshouses were built in 1868 in Tottenham under the superintendence of Mr Woodthorp, architect to the Corporation of London. At that time there were a number of notable almshouses in Tottenham, most of which have since been demolished. At the official opening of the 'Cripplegate almshouses', the Vicar of Cripplegate exhorted inmates 'to use the quiet afforded them in their declining years to prepare for another world' and an account in the Weekly Herald of the opening on Saturday 4 July 1868 reported that each inmate was presented with a Bible, cake and glass of wine. However an unattributed letter in Bruce Castle Archives complained of the lack of visits to the inmates who were paid money by a beadle, with no committee to visit the poor and treat them. The site adjoins Tottenham Cemetery (q.v.) and there was an agreement that burials would not take place within a certain distance from the almshouses. There is no information about the almshouse garden except that accounts in 1881 show £12 paid to a gardener.
In 1891 Staines Charity became part of Cripplegate Foundation and no new pensioners were chosen. In 1899, after the last 3 inmates had been pensioned off, the property together with 15 new houses they had built, was leased out by the Trustees of the Foundation, until its acquisition in 1965 by LB Haringey. An 80-year lease from 29 September 1899 was issued in 1901 and purchased from Plan Apartments in 1978 but there is no information about the use of the building in the intervening years. C20th maps show the garden subdivided and divided into plots, allocated to each house.
The almshouses today are on three sides of a small rectangle at right angles to the street, and this courtyard contains the main garden area, which is sheltered and screened from view. The boundary with the road has modern traditional-style metal fencing with two entrance gates, and a brick archway into the quadrangle, under which there apparently were cellars. Another brick archway leads off the quadrangle into a side garden. A Victorian-style lamp column in the centre is probably original. A commemorative stone marks the opening of the almshouses. The grounds have grass, mature trees including 2 sycamores, shrubs and a small bed with pots and lavender is recently planted. What is visible from the road is effectively the back gardens consisting of paved paths and grass. Beaufoy Road has been substantially redeveloped and the almshouses were originally approached by an insignificant entry c.20 yards on the Church Road side of the stonemason's shop, little visible from Beaufoy Road.
In 1891 Staines Charity became part of Cripplegate Foundation and no new pensioners were chosen. In 1899, after the last 3 inmates had been pensioned off, the property together with 15 new houses they had built, was leased out by the Trustees of the Foundation, until its acquisition in 1965 by LB Haringey. An 80-year lease from 29 September 1899 was issued in 1901 and purchased from Plan Apartments in 1978 but there is no information about the use of the building in the intervening years. C20th maps show the garden subdivided and divided into plots, allocated to each house.
The almshouses today are on three sides of a small rectangle at right angles to the street, and this courtyard contains the main garden area, which is sheltered and screened from view. The boundary with the road has modern traditional-style metal fencing with two entrance gates, and a brick archway into the quadrangle, under which there apparently were cellars. Another brick archway leads off the quadrangle into a side garden. A Victorian-style lamp column in the centre is probably original. A commemorative stone marks the opening of the almshouses. The grounds have grass, mature trees including 2 sycamores, shrubs and a small bed with pots and lavender is recently planted. What is visible from the road is effectively the back gardens consisting of paved paths and grass. Beaufoy Road has been substantially redeveloped and the almshouses were originally approached by an insignificant entry c.20 yards on the Church Road side of the stonemason's shop, little visible from Beaufoy Road.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ334912 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.1003 |
| Site Ownership | LB Haringey |
| Site Management | Housing Assessments |
| Dates | 1868 |
| 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 | Haringey |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Bruce Grove |
| 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
All Hallows Churchyard is a rectangular site with the church centrally positioned. The history of the church dates back to the C12th when it was given to the Canons of Holy Trinity in London, and it was later granted by Henry VIII to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's. The churchyard is enclosed by an C18th low brick wall and among the mature trees is a yew of c. 200 years old. There are many scattered tombs and gravestones, including a number of fine C18th monuments. A path leads to Tottenham Cemetery, which abuts the churchyard to the north.
Tottenham Cemetery was opened by the Tottenham Burial Board in 1858 following the closure of the parish churchyard of All Hallows in 1857. Part of the 5-acre plot was consecrated, with the remainder designated for non Church of England burials, with a chapel for each. The land was drained, landscaped, paths were laid out and evergreens and shrubs planted. The cemetery was extended to the east and south-west between 1881 and 1887 and to the north of Moselle Brook after 1913 on land that included a large lake with two islands that forms the centrepiece of the Garden of Peace.
Bruce Castle Park is on the site of the one of the four manors of Tottenham, the only mansion in its grounds that remains in the area. It gets its name from its link with the Scottish royal family of de Brus, who held part of the manor until 1306. There were numerous illustrious owners over the centuries. A survey of 1619 shows the manor house with a tower and grove of trees on a site that is similar to the present extent of the public park. The present house was erected on or near this site, probably in the 1620s, when the garden may also have been remodelled. In 1827 it became a pioneering school until 1891, when both house and park were bought by Tottenham UDC. The park was given a new layout and opened in August 1892, Tottenham's first public park. The layout today has little changed from that time and many of the trees date from the C19th, with an ancient oak reputedly over 400 years old. Bruce Castle became a museum in 1906 and continues to house the local history collection.