| Switzer's Asylum | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Church of Ireland |
| Province | Leinister |
| Location | |
| Location | Nuncio Road, Kilkenny, Ireland |
  Shown within Ireland | |
| Geographic coordinates | 52°38′53″N7°14′40″W / 52.647978°N 7.244446°W Coordinates: 52°38′53″N7°14′40″W / 52.647978°N 7.244446°W |
| Architecture | |
| Style | classically derived |
| Founder | James Switzer |
| Completed | 1804 |
Switzer's Asylum also known as Saint James Asylum was founded by James Switzer of Kilkenny in the 1800s for the housing of twenty poor widows.
The asylum was founded with the aim of housing twelve Protestant and eight Roman Catholic widows in the units with an additional sum of twenty pounds per year. Today Switzer's Asylum is nineteen units managed by the Church of Ireland in St Patrick’s Parish, Kilkenny. [1] [2] The foundation was established by Act of Parliament which identified who would be entitled to be resident in the units. No one who had ever been a servant, the widow, daughter or niece of a servant could be allowed there. [3] [4] The rule was to allow
decent and respectable persons, the widows or daughters of respectable persons resident in the county or city of Kilkenny or county of Carlow for ten years or more.
The building is a detached almshouse with five three-bays, two-storey high units with a single three bay two storey breakfront. The units are set in a small cul-de-sac of private grounds with a limestone surrounding wall. There is a monument at the front of the building which is a statue by Benjamin Schrowder of Dublin of the founder. It has classically derived proportions though modern renovations have eroded some of the character. It was built in the beginning of the 1800s with work completed about 1803 or 1804. It was renovated in 1992. [2] [5]
James Switzer was a native of Kilkenny and worked as the building contractor on the Kilkenny City Military Barracks. He used some of the left over building materials of the barracks to complete the Almshouse. [2] [5]
Kilkenny is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Magdalene asylums, also known as Magdalene laundries, were initially Protestant but later mostly Roman Catholic institutions that operated from the 18th to the late 20th centuries, ostensibly to house "fallen women". The term implied female sexual promiscuity or work in prostitution, young women who became pregnant outside of marriage, or young girls and teenagers who did not have familial support. They were required to work without pay apart from meagre food provisions, while the institutions operated large commercial laundries, serving customers outside their bases.
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A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
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The Percy and Wagner Almshouses are a group of 12 almshouses in the inner-city Hanover area of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. The first six date from 1795 and are among the few pre-19th-century buildings left in the city. Six more were added in a matching style in 1859. They are the only surviving almshouses in Brighton and have been listed at Grade II for their architectural and historical importance.
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Shee Alms House was founded by the Shee family in 1582 'to accommodate twelve poor persons' in the city of Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a nationally significant Tudor period Almshouse.
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