Clifford'S Fort Trinity House Almshouses And Boundary Stone Attached

Clifford's Fort Trinity House Almshouses and the attached boundary stone are located on Tynemouth Union Road. Originally built as a lighthouse in 1727, it was raised in 1775 and converted into almshouses in 1830 for Trinity House, Newcastle upon Tyne. The building is constructed from brick in varying bonds, with quoins on the right side. The ground floor is rendered, while the right return features painted sandstone ashlar, and the left return has sandstone rubble in the lower courses. The roof is made of Welsh slate and the structure stands three storeys tall with eight irregular bays.

On the ground floor, there is a rendered lintel above the door in the fifth bay, and flat arches over the windows. The upper floors feature elliptical brick arches for the windows, some of which have been bricked up, while others have sashes that are burnt or removed. There are also inserted double loading doors on the first floor. A deep moulded brick string course runs along the first floor, with moulded brick brackets supporting the second floor band. Three commemorative panels, which are eroded, can be found on the first and second floors, with one dated 1775. A sundial is positioned on the second floor, slightly right of center. The hipped roof does not have any chimneys.

Historically, Trinity House, Newcastle, received permission from Henry VIII to construct leading lights at Shields, making this the earliest surviving building from those started in 1539. It became redundant after the new low light was completed in 1808. The boundary stone attached to the left return is a sandstone block inscribed with WD/BS/No7, located about 12 cm above ground. At the time of the survey, the almshouse was empty and in a derelict state.