St Margaret's Almshouses, former hospital in Taunton, England
St. Margaret's Almshouses is a stone building with a thatched roof located in Taunton, dating from medieval times and protected as a Grade II* listed structure. The single-story complex stretches in a simple, elongated form built with local materials and traditional construction methods.
The building was founded around 1185 as a hospital for people with leprosy and came under Glastonbury Abbey's care in 1280. In the early 1500s, Abbot Beere rebuilt it as almshouses, where it continued serving the local community for hundreds of years.
The building displays a stone tablet on its front bearing the arms of Abbot Beere from Glastonbury, a visible reminder of who supported its restoration centuries ago. The name St. Margaret connects to the original chapel, which has represented care and healing for communities across generations.
The building is protected as a Grade II* listed monument and currently serves as private homes, so access inside is not available to visitors. You can view the exterior and architecture from the street and see the stone tablet with the historical arms displayed on its front.
It is believed that tunnels run beneath the street from the building to a medieval cemetery where people with leprosy were buried to prevent disease spread. In the 20th century, bones were discovered while digging for new houses, including a skull showing features typical of those who had the disease.
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