Parthenia Drive, Isleworth
Tolson’s Almshouses were founded in 1756 as the gift of Mrs Ann Tolson to house six elderly widows or elderly spinsters and six elderly bachelors. By 1860 the almshouses had become decrepit and new buildings were erected on an adjacent site given by John Farnell and entered through an elaborate archway with the men and women housed on opposite sides of the courtyard. In 1959 these buildings were sold and replaced by Tolson House and Lodge which were built in 1967.
In 2011 Tolson House and Lodge were demolished and a new high quality development of 20 almshouses for beneficiaries of the Ann Tolson endowment and beneficiaries of the Parthenia Hayburn endowment was built (see below for information about the Parthenia Hayburn Trust). The new Tolson House – part-funded by a grant from the Homes & Communities Agency- opened in 2012.
In 2008 the Charity became Corporate Trustee of the Parthenia Hayburn Trust. The Parthenia Hayburn Trust comprised a single property in Chiswick which was bequeathed by the late Parthenia Hayburn in 1971 for the charitable purpose of ‘accommodating old people where they can have some of their possessions and where husband and wife will not be separated’. However, the flats were not suitable for housing elderly people, were sold and the proceeds were used to part-fund the new Tolson House.
CCTV is in operation both inside and outside of Tolson House. It is there to help in monitoring any adverse behaviour of people who have not been invited in.
