St John’s Winchester has been intimately connected with the city of Winchester for over 900 years, with the original St John’s Hospital serving as the focal point for civic and community life in medieval Winchester. The charity also received significant bequests from the Devenish family in the 13th Century, as well as from Ralph Lamb, a prominent Elizabethan merchant based in London.

We are an amalgamation of several charities including Mary Magdalen which operated a leper hospital outside Winchester, and Christes’ Hospital founded by Peter Symonds, another London merchant who founded a local school.

The charity has been supporting the community for many centuries. At one time, a school operated from St John’s House, and the charity also provided financial support to fund local apprenticeships and start-up funds for local businesses. The grandfather of the charity’s former chair, Richard Steel, benefited from this type of provision.

The charity’s modern history dates back to the 1830s, when its assets were removed from city administration and placed under an independent trust. It has supported people of all ages who were lacking means, but from the 20th century onwards, its focussed on providing care and support for older people.