Drapers Place, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury Drapers Company is a long-established Guild that has been running almshouses continuously since 1444. In 2015 we were commissioned to build 25 new ‘Warden Assisted’ homes for the charity to provide much needed assisted living accommodation.

The development, named Drapers Place, consisted of 21 one-bedroom apartments and four, two-bedroom apartments, each with their own kitchens and bathrooms. The three-storey building also included two residents’ day rooms, a function room and accommodation for a full-time warden.

The History of Shrewsbury’s Almshouses

Shrewsbury Drapers Company is a long-established Guild which was granted a royal charter in 1462 and was historically responsible for the importation of unfinished Welsh cloth into England. The Guild has been running almshouses continuously since 1444 when they established thirteen timber-framed cottages, a common hall and warden’s house for widows and spinsters who received support from the Company.