Duke of Gloucester visits first-of-their-kind Dovehouse Court almhouses in Girton

A royal guest visited Girton Town Charity’s new award-winning almshouse development.

The Duke of Gloucester, who is vice royal patron of The Almshouse Association, was welcomed by trustees and residents to Dovehouse Court, where he was shown around the Passivhaus-accredited almshouses, which are the first of their kind in the UK.

The duke was greeted by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Julie Spence, Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association, and Willie Hartley-Russell, chairman of The Almshouse Association, and Ann Bonnett, chair of Girton Town Charity.

His Royal Highness was shown around one of the new almshouses by Ian Bramwell, director of Mole Architects, who designed the development, before visiting a resident in her home.

After the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the day, Ann Bonnett thanked the duke for visiting, saying: “It has been a great pleasure to show you around our new almshouses so you could see at first hand these homes for the future.”

She presented His Royal Highness with a signed copy of Cambridge photographer Martin Bond’s new book, titled ‘Cambridge: Town & Gown’.

The duke said: “I am delighted to have been able to come to Dovehouse Court today to see and hear about your groundbreaking development. It is very impressive that your charity, which has a 500-year history, is now looking to the future with these inspiring homes which have preserved the principles of traditional almshouse design with shared gardens and a community courtyard.”

Mr Phillips said: “We are very honoured to receive HRH The Duke of Gloucester at one of our member charities, particularly to show off the first example of a new Passivhaus-certified almshouse development.

“The Duke seemed very interested in how the charity blended historic design with cutting-edge environmental engineering.”

Earlier this year, the £5million Dovehouse Court project was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Best New Building Over £2million category in the 2024 Greater Cambridge Design and Construction Awards, run by the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry (CFCI).

Passivhaus is the leading international low-energy design standard. High levels of insulation at the almshouses ensure low energy costs and improved indoor air quality, thanks to energy-efficient windows and doors, with stricter levels of airtightness, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery.