Friday Photo: Bournville Almshouses

Today’s Friday Photo is of the almshouses in Bournville. A family known for their philanthropy (and their chocolate), Bournville Almshouse Trust was established by Richard Cadbury, brother of George Cadbury, in 1897. He commissioned Ewan Harper to design the quadrangle of 33 bungalows to house retired workers of the Cadbury Brothers factory. The bungalows are still managed by Bournville Village Trust and partly occupied by ex-staff members as well as some non-employees aged over 60.

The almshouses are traditional in layout; single storey houses set around a grassy quadrangle, complete with a clock tower and an orchard. The photo shows the principal facade with elaborate gatehouse to the Mary Vale Road side. The Victorian mock Tudor timber-framed gables help create a style cohesive with the rest of the Bournville estate. The building is constructed of handmade red bricks with stone dressings. There is ongoing restoration to the fabric; the chimneys are being renovated with stone sourced from the same quarry as the original chimneys, while the railings have also been replaced, as they had been removed during the Second World War to support the war effort.