Dodds Charity Alms Houses And Garden Wall

Dodds Charity alms houses and garden wall are located in Little Budworth and date from the late 17th century. The buildings are constructed of red Flemish bond brick with red sandstone ashlar dressings and have a plain tile roof. The alms houses are two storeys high and feature a symmetrical entrance front with five bays. The central three bays project and have ashlar quoins that alternate between being flush with the brickwork and slightly projecting, with chamfered rustification. The central doorway has a round arch with quoins and voussoirs that match the flush and projecting format. It contains a 20th-century double door with a fanlight above, which is currently painted over. Above the door is a plain stone tablet with an arched top and moulded edge. On either side of the entrance, there are two-light mullioned windows with chamfered surrounds at both ground and first floor levels, and a similar arrangement is found in the lateral recessed bays.

The right-hand return features ashlar walling, and the building consists of two phases, with a later wing added on the right. This wing has single-light windows at both ground and first floor levels, with a door to the right of centre and two-light windows on the right. The rear of the building has a central projection with two bays, a door on the left, and a two-light window on the right, along with two 20th-century windows above. There are also two single-light windows to the right of this projection and a 19th-century wing on the left with two single-light windows.

Adjoining the later wing is a garden wall made of coursed ashlar, approximately 3 feet high, with a chamfered coping, forming a rectangular garden enclosure. Inside, there is a passage hallway with a staircase at the centre featuring ashlar treads and a wooden balustrade with square newels and column balusters in a three-sided open-well format. The ground and first floor rooms have plank doors.