Social housing has a long and rich history in the UK. Take almshouses, for instance. First established in the 12th century, these places often provided residence for hard-up and disadvantaged people. Recently I cycled to Leyton, in the borough of Waltham Forest, east London to visit one.
It was a beautiful autumn day. It felt as if a bonfire of colour had taken over our roads and parks. Even the wet paths I crossed on my way there had a certain magical glow from the fallen foliage.
I was there to see The London Master Bakers Almshouses (or just Bakers Almshouses) on Lea Bridge Road. They had been designed by Thomas Edward Knightly for the London Master Bakers Benevolent Institution between 1857 and 1866. Knightly had also been in charge of designing Queen’s Hall, in Langham Place, destroyed during the Second World War.
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