The Fishermen's Hospital

Built in 1702, for ‘decayed’ fishermen, these splendid almshouses are at the north end of the marketplace. A cottage will be open to view as well as photographs from the past. What you see in the courtyard today is in fact almost exactly as it looked over 300 years ago. The 20 doors leading to 20 individual cottages at that time. The door would open into one room on the ground floor with a large fireplace for cooking and heating and either a spiral staircase or a ladder leading up to an attic room which probably had hammocks hanging from the eaves for sleeping. There was a water pump and earth closet privies in the yard. This might seem uncomfortable to most, however compared to what the fishermen had been used to the hospital was luxury to them.

There will also be talks about the fascinating history of the buildings built in the Dutch style having undergone restorations.