During his lifetime Sir Abraham Dawes (c.1570-c.1639) built 12 almshouses in Putney for the elderly poor of both sexes. In his will dated 26th February 1639 he endowed them with a rent-charge of £40 a year, issuing out of his estates.

Sir Abraham was one of the richest commoners at the time, an eminent loyalist, and a farmer of customs dues.

The single-storey red brick almshouses were dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The building was divided into 12 rooms, and the garden at the south was also divided into 12 parts. The whole site was enclosed with a brick wall.

After Sir Abraham's death his son and executor Sir Thomas Dawes, by an indenture dated 20th January 1648, continued the endowment, charging it upon his estate in Roehampton.

During the 18th century several other bequests were given to the almshouses.

The Dawes family continued to manage the almshouses until the death of its last descendent in the 1820s. After that, the charity was administered by the curate of the parish, while the then owner of the estate, now called Roehampton Grove, paid the £40 annuity.

By the early 19th century the almshouses were occupied entirely by women.

In 1861 the almshouses were completely rebuilt.

In 1985 the buildings were modernised.

Current status