Sunday 10th January, 2010

Historic wall repaired beside Almshouses in Chippenham

Historic wall repaired beside Almshouses in Chippenham During 2009, the Community Payback team worked to repair and stabilise a wall close to the Almshouses in Kington St Michael, Chippenham.

The wall may not have be repaired at all if it were not for the team of offenders being managed by Wiltshire Probation – and this important part of Chippenham’s history could have been lost forever.

The wall had fallen into to disrepair over the years, due to the fact that the residents of the Almshouses are very elderly and unable to keep the wall in good condition.

John Fryer, the project supervisor, already had gained a strong foundation of expertise in building and construction work. He was able to teach the offenders to dismantle and re–build a dry stone wall. The complex project was completed in October and a number of offenders were able to gain valuable skills and experience, which could be utilised to support training or job applications.

“During the project the team had to deal with angry geese camped out in the adjacent fields, waterlogged work areas and freezing cold temperatures, but they all worked hard and put in an exceptional effort to complete the project,” commented Tracy Geiran, Project Coordinator for Wiltshire Probation.

The history surrounding the six Almshouses is surprisingly well documented. Isaac Lyte, an alderman of London who died in 1659, erected the accommodation to help the aged or needy. Dating further back in time, there used to be a sheep market held in the area in front of the Almshouses and other markets held in nearby enclosures.

< Back to list page