Slap-bang in the middle of London, just a stone’s throw from St Paul’s Cathedral and the British Museum, a lucky group of over 60s are enjoying the most extraordinary retirement.
The residents of Charterhouse live in a medieval monastery turned mansion.
Set in seven acres of grounds where James I and Elizabeth I once stayed, it’s where Oscar-winning Hamnet was filmed and where jewellers from Cartier recently staged a glittering party.
Bees lazily buzz in rose-covered courtyards, the sun shines through stained glass in the chapel and, in the Great Hall, lunch is served on large oak tables under glittering chandeliers.
Residents have their food, entertainment and healthcare provided for life. And the best bit? Many can afford to pay for it on their state pension alone.
The Charterhouse almshouse was founded in 1611 to offer a home for older people in ‘financial, social or housing need’. Residents were called ‘Brothers’ – as they are to this day.
Regal retirements: The residents of Charterhouse live in a medieval monastery-turned-mansion in seven acres of grounds where James I and Elizabeth I once stayed
Today, very little has changed. Charterhouse is one of 30,000 almshouse units in the UK, offering homes for retirees. They are run by 1,300 almshouse charities, each of which are separately governed and have their own criteria for admission.
For some, you might have had to live in the area when you apply. Others might require a connection to a profession (there are almshouses for retired seafarers, fishermen and miners and their widows, for example).
Most will stipulate that you must be ‘needy’ but it can be hard to define what that is, since most will differ on the level of income or savings you can hold before being deemed too wealthy, especially if you can demonstrate another need such as extreme loneliness.
Even the age requirement differs, with some almshouses accepting over 50s, Charterhouse over 60s, and others focusing on younger people with disabilities or other needs.
Almshouses are charities with volunteer boards and they can’t make a profit – but that doesn’t mean most people stay for free.
Once you, or a family member, is in an almshouse you’ll have to pay a ‘maintenance contribution’ and that can be means-tested.
Nick Phillips, head of the Almshouse Association, which represents the charities, says the contribution is usually based on the local housing allowance ‘as that’s what people can afford’.
For those who have higher savings or income, the contribution may be more. Setting the fees at the local authority cap means almshouse costs are often, but not always, paid out of housing benefit.
At present, local authority housing allowance in Bath is £188 a week for a single person, or £331 a week in London.
Charterhouse’s own financial assessment is confidential but many will pay less than this depending on their circumstances.
‘In the governing documents it usually says that living in an almshouse should not create hardship for the residents,’ Phillips says, and this stipulation is true of Charterhouse.
The maintenance contribution for Charterhouse is means-tested, with the charity picking up the slack where residents pay less.
Peter Aiers OBE, Master of Charterhouse, says that being someone with savings ‘does not automatically preclude you from coming’.
‘We are looking for the right sort of people to fit in,’ he adds. Costs don’t increase even if residents require more care in later life.
For 90 per cent of the Charterhouse Brothers, the almshouse will be their final home, thanks to 24-hour on-site care, while wardens at other almshouses means their residents are also less likely to need costly residential care.
Good life: Residents and staff at Charterhouse. There are 30,000 almshouse units in the UK. They are run by 1,300 almshouse charities, each of which have their own criteria for admission
Such services in privately-run facilities can run into tens of thousands of pounds. The average care home in London costs nearly £7,000 a month according to Carehome.co.uk, while three carer visits a day in your own home could easily hit £800 a week.
Many Charterhouse Brothers were handed a lifeline when they were offered a place. Some lived abroad and didn’t put down roots or found that once they stopped work their pension didn’t cover the cost of rent.
‘I retired a few years ago, and I lived in London, but I just got to the point where I couldn’t afford to live here any more,’ explains Simon, now 78, who had a career abroad in rainforest conservation before moving to Charterhouse three years ago.
Simon spends his days writing and his evenings visiting jazz clubs and the theatre, and spending time with other residents.
‘I didn’t go to university, but I said in my application that I thought it would be like being at an Oxford college, but instead of callow youths we have some wise heads.
There are some really fascinating people here,’ he says. ‘I think it keeps you young, both physically and mentally.’
Retired documentary film maker Annabel has been a Brother for around a year-and-a-half.
‘I was living with my stepdaughter in Crouch End in north London and looking for somewhere to live,’ she says. ‘Then I found the Charterhouse website and decided to apply.
‘My family were a little concerned to begin with. They felt it looked a bit institutionalised because I’ve always been a slightly rebellious spirit, to put it mildly, and so they worried if I’d fit in – but they’re very happy that I’m happy, and that I feel it’s my home, and that I’m safe.’
Charterhouse residents live in some splendour, but there are rules: no pets, no overnight lovers (there’s a guest room available for family but no sharing of rooms), no toasters because of fire alarms and you must pass a probation period that involves testing your tolerance for community life.
‘If you’re easygoing this is a wonderful place – and if you have too many red lines then you’re not going to enjoy it so much,’ Simon says.
‘You’re not going to get along with everybody and you learn how to find a way around it,’ adds Annabel.
The rewards of living in an almshouse can be significant. Carley Roberts, director of health and wellbeing, says Charterhouse is studying why extreme dementia amongst the Brothers is so low.
‘We feel it is something to do with that routine and rhythm in the day, regular social interaction and stimulation,’ she says.
Meanwhile, a recent study by the Bayes Business School found almshouse residents live, on average, two-and-a-half years longer than the general population.
Nick Phillips says the way many almshouses are built, around communal squares, produces the community interaction that leads to long life.
‘They’re designed so that kitchen windows overlook their neighbours – so that they can see if they’ve picked up the milk from outside the front door,’ he says.
‘They are fundamentally about creating homes of good neighbours, about creating places of warmth and hospitality and security to those in need in the community.’
John, 92, who lives in the St John’s Almshouse in Bath says moving in with his wife, Maddy, has kept her from needing to go into care and allowed them to live independently.
The retired clergyman says: ‘I think we live longer because we’re more relaxed, we’re being looked after.’
Modern flats: St John’s Almshouse in Bath provides 94 apartments across two sites for adults over 65
Getting into an almshouse
If you think you, or a family member, might be suitable for an almshouse, check the Almshouse Association website to see what is available near you. Go to: almshouses.org
Currently there are spaces in Norwich, Reading and Merseyside, to name a few. Even if no vacancy is shown nearby, you could still contact local associations on the website to discuss suitability.
Annabel, Simon and John are all enthusiastic advocates and certainly it feels that, for the right type of person, a Charterhouse Brotherhood is a golden ticket to an interesting retirement.
As lunch of salmon and fruit tart progresses, the Brothers discuss their plans for the rest of the week, the role of poet John Donne in the history of Charterhouse, a camping trip as well as recent scientific discoveries.
Then the bell rings, the Master picks up the gavel and, after a prayer, residents disperse for a nap, a stroll round the gardens or trip to a local gallery.
‘Do you ever stop noticing how beautiful this is?’ I ask Annabel.
‘Every day I wake up and I think, how did I get here? How was I so lucky?’ she says.
‘When I go away now, I can’t wait to get back.’
- Have you found a way to live a great retirement lifestyle on a budget? Let us know: moneymail@dailymail.co.uk
