Sherborne has one of the best almshouse complexes in the South West and this talk will place its history and conservation in the national context. The speaker, who is writing a history of the building type in England and Wales, will take us from the modest single storey terrace to some of the grandest buildings in the country such as St Cross at Winchester, and The Great Hospital at Norwich with excursions into their chapels, gardens and livery, concluding with an overview on what promises to be a bright future.
Matthew Saunders MBE was until his recent retirement Secretary of Ancient Monuments Society, which was a statutory consultee on applications affecting listed buildings of all ages, and Director of The Friends of Friendless Churches, which now owns some 60 historic churches and chapels. He was a Trustee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund 2005-2011.