In 1855 Miss Elizabeth Sheppard inherited a sum of money and decided to use it for the benefit of others. She consulted a personal friend, Mr Arnold, a local clergyman, who advised her to establish homes providing rent-free accommodation for ladies with limited means through no fault of their own. To this end, on 14th December 1855, she founded a small charity near her home in Bayswater. Named 'Miss Sheppard's Annuitants Homes', it would provide accommodation and attendance for elderly educated and refined women who found themselves in reduced circumstances, living on small fixed incomes.

In 1882 Nos. 25, 27 and 43 Ossington Street and No. 95 Ledbury Road were occupied by the charity.

In 1899 applicants were required to have a certain income of not less than £25 a year or, if two ladies shared one set of rooms, a joint income of £40 a year. They were selected by committee and were aged from 55 to 70 years. A weekly charge of 1s 6d (8p) was made for services, such as porterage and cleaning.

After WW1 (1914-1918) the name of the charity was changed to 'The Sheppard Trust'. By this time the Trust owned or rented six properties, two of which were in Kensington.

In 1936 the Trust purchased No. 3 Lansdowne Walk and, later, No. 4. It continued to purchase properties in Lansdowne Walk until 1957, by which time it owned Nos. 2, 12 and 14 (there is no No. 13). As well as bed-sitting rooms for the elderly ladies, there was a resident warden.

In the 1980s the accommodation in Nos. 2, 3 and 4 was converted into 16 small, unfurnished, self-contained apartments. The doorway of No. 4 and the windows above it were filled in. The gardens of all the properties were joined together to become a communal garden.

The buildings were renovated in 1999.

In 2010 the Trust had proposed to restore the houses to single family residences, with a view to selling them and purchasing accommodation elsewhere in a cheaper part of London. However, there was considerable local opposition to this idea and the Council refused planning permission.

Current status