Poor House (2)
This flint rubble cottage was once the parish poorhouse for the village of Chidham. It is actually a timber-framed building in origin and probably dates from the 15th century. It may have begun its life as the abode of a well-to-do yeoman farmer; indeed, it could even have been a manor house.
By the 16th century considerable advances had been made in the construction and design of housing. A man of means would inevitably have wanted to improve his lot, and so he might knock down the old timber house of which his grandfather was so proud - or alternatively, he might sell it. Timber-framed houses are like jigsaw puzzles; they can be taken apart and re-erected with relative ease. It may very well be that the house in this photographed began its life on a different site and was bought, and brought here, when the village needed a poorhouse.
The poorhouse was the place where destitute members of the community were housed and fed at the expense of those who were slightly better-off. This is where you would end up if you were orphaned or widowed - but only if you were born here; if you came from some other village then, on the death of your husband or your parents, you could be sent back.
No doubt this building has been the setting for many small scenes and dramas, over the centuries. "Walls have ears", or so it is said. If only they could talk, what stories we should hear...