Award winning Ossulton Court in Uxbridge: Reinterpreting the Almshouse for Later Life

Written by Stephen Melvin, Principal at Atelier Architecture & Design, Housing LIN Case Study No.183 explores Ossulton Court, a contemporary almshouse development in Uxbridge, west London.

Completed in 2022 and winner of the Almshouse Association Inspirational Homes Award in 2025, the scheme provides 30 new apartments on a highly constrained Conservation Area site between the River Fray and the town’s inner ring road.

Drawing on the enduring social principles of the almshouse alongside the HAPPI approach, the design arranges homes around a landscaped communal courtyard, linked by sheltered, cloister-like walkways. Dual-aspect apartments, all designed for wheelchair accessibility with level access throughout, have private balconies or patios, so residents can choose how far they take part in communal life.

Stephen explains how the site’s inherited precinct condition, rather than being treated only as a constraint, became part of the architectural response, with a fabric-first environmental strategy and natural ventilation considered alongside social needs.

He concludes that the continuing relevance of the almshouse lies in its underlying principles rather than its appearance, and that good later-life housing emerges from the relationship between home, shared space, landscape and community.