Bedford And Essex Almshouses

The Bedford and Essex Almshouses, originally known as The Lord Essex Almshouses, are a row of eight almshouse cottages built in 1580. They are rendered and feature one storey with an attic, topped by plain tile roofs that have four massive paired brick chimney stacks. The front of the building is regular, showcasing three large gables and two smaller gables at each end, with overhanging eaves. The windows are wood mullioned, consisting of four lights in the large gables and two lights in the end gables and on the ground floor. The door openings are simply moulded and paired in the central three sections. Inside, the roof structure includes queen strut roof trusses with straight bracing. These almshouses were constructed by Francis, the 2nd Earl of Bedford, to provide housing for eight poor women from Watford, Chenies, and Langley.