Cerrigydrudion almshouses
This row of cottages was erected in 1717 to accommodate poor men. Please respect the occupants’ privacy and don’t enter through the gate.
The almshouses were built by influential landowner Robert Price MP (1655-1733). He also endowed money to sustain the almshouses and the future inhabitants. His family’s wealth sprang from Tudor times, as you can read on our web page about the nearby church, in which you can see the lavish memorial Robert erected to his mother.
Robert was a barrister and was appointed Attorney-General for South Wales in 1682. He was known as “the patriot of his native country” after 1696, when he successfully objected to King William III’s proposed grant of a large swathe of North Wales (lands where 1,500 freeholders lived) to Dutchman Hans William Bentick, a favourite of the king. Queen Anne later made Robert one of the Barons of the Exchequer. His portrait is shown here courtesy of the National Library of Wales.
The almshouses became known as Hafan Prys (“Price’s haven”). Notice the Price family’s coat of arms above the centre door.
The almshouses originally provided homes for six poor and elderly men of the parish. In 1890 it was reported that the almshouses were managed by a trust and were in good repair, accommodating about a dozen men, but the original charity had earlier fallen into neglect and the almshouses had become dilapidated.
The old photo, courtesy of the National Library of Wales, was taken by John Thomas, probably in the last quarter of the 19th century. It shows residents of the almshouses and two women, who possibly looked after the building and occupants. The doors and coat of arms were in the front wall of the building at the time. The porches were added later.
Postcode: LL21 9SW View Location Map