King Edward VI Almshouses, West Block

The King Edward VI Almshouses, west block, are almshouses built in 1881 by GS Gibson to expand the accommodation of the existing central and east blocks. They are constructed from grey and yellow brick and feature a slate roof with a rectangular plan and two storeys.

The east front elevation has a six-window range, with windows that have chamfered brick reveals, cast splayed sills, and moulded labels. The windows are paired lights with wooden, hollow chamfered frames and horizontal sliding sashes, each containing four panes by four panes. There are doorways in the second and fifth bays, with doors that have lower panels of chamfered boards and upper glazing with two panes by two panes. The roof is concealed by a parapet with moulded coping and a string course. There are three stacks with diagonal shafts, with four in the centre and two on the outer pair.

The north and south ends of the block are diagonally buttressed and feature finials. The south end elevation is decorated with a blind window on both the ground and first floors, as well as an upper recess. It has a gable parapet with a string course and finials, and a plaque indicating GS Gibson, 1881.

The rear west elevation includes a full-length 20th-century single-storey red brick lean-to addition, which has two gabled two-storey blocks that are equally spaced along the run. The addition features casement windows with glazing bars, and the back doors have recessed lower panels with two panes by three upper glazing.