Built on the site of Kettle Hard, a part of Bishop Gundulph's Hospital of St Bartholomew, the Almshouses today are a square of Georgian houses dating from the 1790s.
The Governors of this Elizabethan naval Charity invite visitors to see the boardroom that contains artefacts relating to the history and career of Sir John Hawkins, an important English admiral in the 1580s and 1590s, and to the establishment and continuity of the charity which provides homes for needy and disabled mariners and shipwrights and for other ex-service personnel.
The charity has been providing accommodation on this same High Street site to eligible service personnel and civilians since 1594.
The precincts of the Almshouses occupy a corner of the former St Bartholomew's Hospital and the delightful small garden gives a good prospect of the River Medway, making a pleasant spot in which to enjoy some refreshments.
Free. Pre-booking not required
