Thrale Almshouses

Streatham High Road, 1832-1930

The Thrale Almshouses, were built on Streatham High Road next to the police station in 1832 by Hester Maria Thrale, Susannah Arabella Thrale and Cecilia Margaretta Thrale - the three remaining daughters of Henry Thrale. The almshouses provided subsidised lodgings for four poor widows or single women who had "attained an honest old age" in Streatham.

On the front was the following inscription:

QUATUOR MULIERIBUS,
QUÆ IN HÂC PAROCHIÂ PAUPERES
SENECTUTEM HONESTAM ATTIGERINT,
HENRICI THRALE QUATUOR NATÆ
HAS ÆDES
DOMICILIUM POSERUNT.
A.D. MDCCCXXXII.

In his 1920 book Dr Johnson and Mrs. Thrale, A.M. Broadley speculated that the expression "quatuor natse" is probably accounted for by the fact that the original parties to conveyance were the three daughters and Henry Merrick Hoare, who married Mrs. Mostyn, a widow at the time of its execution.

This was comprised in deed, 17 August 1832 (enrolled); endowment consists of £1,480 4_s_. 1_d_. consols and £866 13_s_. 4_d_. consols, being the benefaction thereto of Thomas Arthur Bertie Mostyn, by deed poll, 5 October 1860, producing together £58 13_s_. 4_d_. yearly.1

The almshouse were demolished in 1930 when the land was sold for redevelopment.

Polworth Road, 1930 - date

In their place, eight new homes, designed by Cecil M Quilter, were erected at 27 Polworth Road, Streatham SW16 2HA. Map »

In 1939, following the death of Lady Edith Robinson, the wife of the Streatham Conservative Association, it was decided to erect additional accommodation in her memory and £1,000 was raised which covered the cost of building two new almshouse on the Polworth Road site.

The homes are still in use as social sheltered retirement housing, managed by the Thrale Almshouse & Relief in Need Charity. There are nine one bedroom houses for single women. 

• 1. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43037