In 1862 the Salters Company purchased 5 acres of land in Watford from the Earl of Essex on which to build new almshouses to replace its Beamond's and Nicholas's Almshouses in London.

The new almshouses, located to the west of St Andrew's School, were officially opened in 1864. They had been built in the Gothic style at a cost of £8,000, not including the price of the land. The buildings consisted of 18 one- and two-storey houses arranged around three sides of a courtyard, and accommodated 12 women and 8 men.

By 1878 new chimneys were needed. Also the water supply and drainage had become problematic, despite new sewers being installed in the second half of the 19th century.

The almshouses were later converted into 39 residences of various sizes.

In 1924 the charities of Beamond and Nicholas, with numerous subsidiary endowments, were consolidated by order of the Charity Commissioners.

In 1974 eight more houses were added to the site, at a cost of £81,783. The almshouses then consisted of 47 dwellings.

The original buildings were listed Grade II in January 1983.

In 1992 a number of additional almshouses were built in the gardens behind the original ones.

Current status