Appleby Blue Almshouse in Bermondsey redefines what housing for older people can be in the heart of a modern city. Designed by Witherford Watson Mann Architects with landscape by Grant Associates, the project replaces the isolation often associated with senior living with a model rooted in openness, connection, and daily interaction with nature.
Commissioned by United St Saviour’s Charity, Appleby Blue provides 57 independent almshouses for residents over 65. The project brings a centuries-old idea of supported community living into the present day. It combines architectural dignity, urban integration, and restorative green space in equal measure.
Recognised for its social purpose in reimagining the traditional almshouse model, the project won the prestigious 2025 RIBA Stirling Award, the UK’s highest award for architecture.
A new kind of city living for later life
Unlike many developments for older adults located on the edges of cities, Appleby Blue sits directly on Bermondsey’s high street, with a bus stop at its door and local shops and cafés nearby. The design blurs the boundary between private and public life, inviting residents to remain active participants in the neighbourhood.
Landscape plays a central role in creating this sense of belonging. Grant Associates shaped the external and semi-enclosed spaces to support both a retreat environment and social interaction. The gardens are designed as living social infrastructure – places to share, garden, cook, and connect.
The Garden Court
At the heart of the building lies the Garden Court, a tranquil courtyard inspired by the historic coaching inns of Borough High Street. Here, glazed walkways frame views onto a richly planted, layered garden with a modern woodland glade boasting Ginkgo biloba trees, ferns, and foxgloves surrounding a slow-flowing linear water feature.
The garden is sensory and immersive, designed to draw people out from their apartments and into the shared space. Movement, sound, and seasonal change give residents a daily rhythm and reason to embrace the day.
The Garden Room
Connected directly to the courtyard is the Garden Room, a double-height space that opens to the street and hosts community activities, cooking sessions, and events. With a community kitchen and generous glazing, this space functions as both an extension of the garden and a bridge to the wider neighbourhood, inviting families and local groups in.
The Productive Roof Terrace
Above, the Productive Garden occupies the building’s south-facing roof terrace. Raised concrete beds filled with edible and sensory plants such as fennel, rosemary, wild strawberries, apple and pear trees, encourage residents to grow their own food and take part in seasonal gardening. The terrace offers long views across the city while supporting physical activity and wellbeing through horticulture.
Towards a new urban model
Appleby Blue challenges the conventions of elderly housing by embedding it within the fabric of the city. It is designed for connection rather than seclusion. Its gardens are not ornamental, but purposeful places that invite participation and nurture independence, while bringing the wider community together.
Grant Associates’ landscape design transforms the traditional almshouse concept into an open, accessible and interactive living style. In doing so, it demonstrates how thoughtful planting, daylight, and spatial generosity can help architecture respond to one of society’s most pressing questions: how we live well as we age.
Project Data
Landscape architecture: Grant Associates
Client: United St Saviour’s Charity
Architects: Witherford Watson Mann Architects
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Services Engineer: Skelly & Couch
Lighting: AWA
Consultants
Developer: JTRE London
Planning Consultant: DP9
Photo credits: Philip Vile
Appleby Blue Almshouse, London Designed by Grant Associates with Witherford Watson Mann Architects
Location: UK
Type: Residential
Built: 2023
