Staunton House

Staunton House, also known as Nos 9 to 18, is a group of almshouses located on the west side of Belford Street. The buildings were completed in 1850, as indicated by the date above the doorway. They were originally founded in 1635 by Sir Francis Staunton of Birchmore, and were granted to John Duke of Bedford by an Act of 1760. The construction was carried out by Francis, the 7th Duke of Bedford.

The almshouses are built of yellow brick with rendered dressings and have clay tile roofs, while the rear blocks are made of red brick. The main structure is a long rectangular block that runs alongside the pavement and is two storeys high, designed in a loosely Jacobean style. The symmetrical road-facing elevation features nine crow-stepped gables of varying sizes, with the outer gables being the largest.

On the ground floor, there are six 2-light windows flanked by two 3-light windows. The first floor has six single-light windows flanked by two 2-light windows. All windows are cast iron lattice casements set in mullioned openings, featuring square heads and moulded dripstones. The central and outer gables each have a small oculus at the apex with a decorative grille.

The central doorway is a 6-panel round-headed door set in a round-arched opening within a square surround. A large keystone rises to a modillion cornice, which is flanked by ornamental volutes topped with heavy moulded finials. Above the cornice is a moulded semi-circular panel that contains the date plaque. The building also features substantial multiple ridge stacks with moulded caps.

At the rear, there is a low rectangular outhouse block made of red brick with clay tile roofs, designed in a simpler but similar style to the main block. This outhouse has a symmetrical arrangement with a central slightly taller gable and has now been converted into two dwellings. Staunton House forms a pair with the adjacent building.