Oxford Hospital

1. 774 STATION ROAD

Oxford Hospital, Little Park TL 0237 2/137 17.7.51

II

1. Almshouses, erected circa 1700 in conformity with the will of John Cross, dated 23 November 1697. There is a tradition that Wren was consulted over this building, which is typical of the style formed by him. 'E' - pattern building of 2 storeys in red brick, chequered with blue 'seconds'. Shaped wooden cornice and deeply projecting eaves below a steeply hipped tile roof, in which hipped dormers light an attic storey. The bay forming the central prong of the 'E' hardly projects from the main range and is pedimented into a shallow gable. The wooden pediment encloses a diamond- shaped wooden clock-face dated 1788. The outer wings project far enough forward to allow for one window on their flanks and a narrow stringcourse at 1st floor level binds the entire building together. 7 windows are disposed between the 5 units of the 'E' as follows: 1:2:1:2:1. Along the unbroken rear wall there are 9 windows and on each side wall 3 windows. Dormers correspond to all these windows except for the 3 'prong faces'. All windows are diamond-leaded and those below the eaves have a mullion and transom each; the upper window in the central bay alone has 2 mullions. The roof is tiled in dark red, bordered with lighter red along the outline of ridge, valleys, hips ana eaves. The dormers are roofed in the lighter colour only. The central bay has the main entrance, giving directly into a chapel; double doors, each of 3 panels, below a gabled porch supported by substantial brackets, whose forward extremities rest on slender octagonal pillars. 2 lesser doors at the ends of the main range have slightly projecting gabled hoods. A small louvred wooden bell-turret rides over the centre of the roof; above it rises a simple wrought iron wind vane. 4 chimney stacks are symmetrically placed, 2 on either side of the bell-turret and 2 on the outer wings. The Hospital stands in a simple garden, which is enclosed with a plain low brick wall.

Listing NGR: TL0246437531