Sir William Turner'S Hospital

REDCAR KIRKLEATHAM NZ 52 SE 4/63 Sir William Turner's 14.6.52 Hospital G.V. I

Almshouses, charity schools and chapel, 1674/76, largely rebuilt and extended 1720-1750, including chapel by James Gibbs. Schools now used as flats. Brick with sandstone dressings; ashlar chapel. Lakeland slate roofs; lead roofs on chapel. Stone-flagged pavements front almshouses on 3 sides of courtyard opening to north. South side : 3-bay apsidal gable-fronted chapel flanked by 2-storey, 3-bay houses; east and west sides: 2 storey, 14-bay almshouses with slightly-projecting north end bays. Baroque chapel has projecting central 4-stage tower over porch with round-headed openings, that at front in Tuscan surround. First stage has inscribed tablet with scrolled wings and broken pediment, under arms of founder; circular windows in returns. Cornices between stages. Rusticated 2nd stage with round-headed windows. 3rd stage has recessed chamfered angles, one-handed clock face at front and circular windows in returns. Octagonal cupola has round-headed louvred bell openings; ball finial with wyvern weather vane on dome. Segment-headed and round-headed windows with glazing bars in flanking bays. All openings have classical surrounds. Statues of boy and girl at ends of parapet. Houses and almshouses have moulded plinth, band between floors, cornice below straight parapet with flat copings and sash windows with glazing bars in architraves. Houses have 6-panel doors and overlights in architraves, up 3 steps. Almshouses have paired 2-panel doors in architraves under entablature with shouldered frieze. North end bays each have 6-panel door in chamfered-quoin surround with double keystone, under frieze and cornice on fluted consoles; and round-headed niche holding statue of pensioner. South returns have sundials in parapet. Venetian windows on first floor of north returns. Rainwater heads with lion masks, initials and "1742". Hipped roofs with corniced ridge stacks. Houses have one and 2-storey rear extensions including 4x2-bay former school houses. Area walls with chamfered copings at rear of almshouses. Chapel interior has rich decorations including stucco, woodwork and ironwork. Cross-vaulted ceiling supported on Ionic columns. Side galleries linked by cantilevered bridge. Venetian window holding stained glass by Sebastiano Ricci, and William Price (York). Patterned marble floors. Several fittings may have been brought here from Gibbs' chapel at Canon's Park, Middlesex (built 1716-20; demolition sale 1747). Clock in tower 1749, by Henry Hindley (York). Garages to south are not of special interest. John Cornforth "Kirkleatham, Cleveland II", Country Life, 20th January, 1977, p.p. 134 - 137.

Listing NGR: NZ5931421549