The Stafford Almshouses

Although Milton Keynes is a modern town mostly comprised of houses built in the last 40 odd years, the area it covers contained a number of existing towns and villages.  I was born in Wolverton, a railway town, and I was 4 years old when it was announced that Milton Keynes was to be developed. I currently live on an estate that encompasses one of those original villages.  

The photo shows the Stafford Almshouses which are just down the road from my house. They were built in 1615 by Thomas Stafford and his son. Sir Thomas had died in 1607 and his will left instructions for the almshouses to be built for the accommodation of four unmarried, impoverished men and two women, all of whom had not only to regularly attend church, but to refrain from any 'riotous living.' Today, the almshouses have been converted into private accommodation. Evidently their founder is commemorated in the church across the road by an impressive monument which I must seek out. It is a shame that such philanthropy doesn't seem to exist today.