Hidden Appleby

If you have wandered through Appleby in Westmorland, down the main street (Boroughgate) from the castle toward the town centre, you may have missed a little bit of history. The Alms Houses of St Anne’s Hospital. the arched stoned doorway and you come out into a lovely cobbled courtyard surrounded by the brightly coloured doorways of the quaint little old houses. the legacy of Lady Anne Clifford, whom did so much not only for the restoration of castles and estates in the area, but also for the people of Appleby. When she was living in the castle, during the 17th Century, she became concerned with the welfare of the poor widows of the town. So, she had built these alms houses in 1651. Enough for 12 Sisters and a Mother. They are still in use today.