PRINCE Charles has given the royal seal of approval to a major restoration scheme that has breathed new life into ancient almshouses.
Five Victorian cottages at Emery Down in the New Forest have been refurbished in a £600,000 project to provide much-needed homes.
Prince Charles is patron of the Almshouses Association and the scheme is one of only two in the country to qualify for this year’s Patron’s Award.
Members of the Emery Down Almshouses Trust are hoping the prince will visit the Grade II listed cottages to present the plaque personally.
The chairman of the trustees is Jan Smart, who lives next door to the site, and donated land to help make the project possible.
Jan said: “The award is an unexpected honour and marks the completion of a long and frequently daunting project.
“The renovated cottages are a source of pride and the homes they provide are a joy to their tenants.
“The intense interest shown in the scheme has emphasised the severe shortage of affordable housing within the New Forest National Park.”
Other trustees praised the support for six-year project received by Emery Down residents and the National Park Authority.
Tenants include Jenny Soulsby, who suddenly found herself homeless at the age of 68.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted with my cottage. It’s right in the centre of the Forest, which I love, and is basically a dream come true. I call it my forever home. I will never have to worry again.”
The Patron’s Award was launched 15 years ago to honour outstanding projects involving almshouses.
Prince Charles has said: “I hope the scheme will encourage all trustees who are considering building or altering almshouses to strive for the highest standards and thus leave a legacy of which we can be justly proud.”
Known as Boultbee Cottages, the cottages are named after Emery Down’s main benefactor.
Admiral Frederick Boultbee moved to the village in 1856 and built a school, a church as the almshouses.
Built more than 140 years ago, they were vacant and uninhabitable when the ten-month restoration scheme began last year.
Much of the restoration cash came from the Almshouses Association, the Homes and Communities Agency and local donations.
But the charity has had to took out a £240,000 mortgage to cover the rest of the cost.
To make a donation, Anyone wishing to make a donation should write to Roger Riley at Home Farm, Emery Down, Lyndhurst, SO43 7FH.
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