St John'S Homes

TL 04NW KEMPTON URBAN BEDFORD ROAD

2/91 St John's Homes - - II

Almshouses. Founded 1881 by Mrs Anne Jane Charles Williamson, for members of the Church of England. Red brick structure, ground floor clad in colour washed plaster with red brick dressings, first floor hung with decorative tiles, some mock timber framing to projecting gables. Clay tile roofs. 2- storeyed 5-bay main block, with single storeyed single-bay blocks to W and E, the latter with hipped roofs. Neo-vernacular style. To centre of main block is unusual bay window, canted to LH side only, overhung by large jettied gabled projection, itself with jettied attic. First floor has projecting 4- light window on brackets. Attic has crucifix to centre, and below it the letter "A.M.D.C." incised in bressumer. First floor bressumer incised with "In memoriam". Below first floor window are 4 plasterwork panels, 2 central ones with coats of arms, outer ones with "A.D." and '1881". To each end of main block is canted bay surmounted by smaller gabled and jettied first floor with 3-light projecting window. 2 recessed bays each have 3-light casement under cambered head to ground floor, and 2 small windows and one gabled projecting 2-light window to first floor. One 3-light window to each side wing. Frost windows are casements, upper part only with glazing bars. Coors, all of 6 panels with top pair glazed, are arranged 1-2-1-1-2-1 overall, and have tiled porch canopies. Variety of tall multiple stacks. Bargeboards to gables. Anne Williamson, herself a widow, inhabited the central first floor flat.

Listing NGR: TL0288347562