THE WATTS ALMSHOUSES

The Watts Almshouses

A short walk out of the centre of Rochester you’ll find a row of impressively Gothic Victorian homes. These are the Watts Charity Almshouses built in 1858. Built following a significant change in the laws governing the running of charities and trusts in the early 1850s, they provide homes for fully retired residents of Rochester. They are maintained by the Watts Charity whose offices are at the northern end of the row, and whose Boardroom can be seen on the first floor of the central building. If the overall style looks a little familiar, you wouldn’t be wrong. The architect later became one of thirteen architects who contributed to the design of somewhere synonymous with the secret war fought behind the scenes in WW2 – Bletchley Park.