BACK in the 1600s a London merchant decided that he would leave behind the hustle and bustle of the capital and retire to the Hampshire countryside, and bought a house in North Baddesley.

Robert Thorner was a wealthy man and was keen to use his money to help others.

Now, more than 300 years after his death, his legacy plays an important part in the life of modern-day Southampton.

He not only dictated in his will that Southampton widows be given homes with the money he left, but ordered that the trustees seek to increase accommodation.

There are still many local people who remember the almshouses, bearing the name of Thorner, that once stood at Above Bar, close to the site of the Civic Centre.

Thorner’s homes, which were demolished in the mid-1930s, stood on land bought for a mere £450 in 1787 by the trustees of the charity.

The almhouses, which housed poor Southampton widows, had to make way for the new layout of the Civic Centre and also for the development of the area around the one-time Forum cinema.

Robert Thorner’s trustees gradually accumulated rents from the businessman’s London properties and put £3,500 to building, in 1793, a total of 18 almshouses and a chapel.

Later additions increased the accommodation to 43. Then came the Polygon Road block in Henstead Road, developed in stages from 1866 to 1933 for another 40 widows and which were replaced by 85 modern flats in 1973.

In 1967 land that was formerly an allotment was turned into a garden that was described as an “oasis in the centre of Southampton” for the residents at Henstead Road.

With proceeds of the 1930 Above Bar sale, the trustees built 60 replacement almshouses at Regent’s Park at a total cost of £41,000.

Robert Thorner not only helped local widows, his legacy also assisted children’s education as well as helping youngsters to gain apprenticeships.

Almshouses have existed for more than 1,000 years, enabling mostly elderly people to live in affordable homes in the local community.

There are almost 1,800 separate almshouses charities in the UK, providing accommodation for 36,000 residents across the UK.