Salt merchant John Foster founded this almshouse when he was Mayor of Bristol in 1481. It has been rebuilt several times. Oddly enough the present Victorian building - in a picturesque Burgundian Gothic style - was designed by another John Foster. The adjoining chapel is original though. Its dedication to the Three Kings of Cologne is unique in Britain and seems to refer to a shrine of the three wise men in Cologne Cathedral. Since Foster’s is still a home for the elderly, public access is rarely available.
