The Baish Almshouses And Attached Forecourt Wall

The Baish Almshouses, built in 1653 for Sir Edward Baesh, are a group of almshouses located in Stanstead Abbots. They are constructed from red brick in English bond and feature a long, steep old red tiled roof. This single-storey row consists of three pairs of almshouses facing northwest. Each pair has two plank doors set together in a heavy chamfered wooden frame, along with a three-light ovolo-moulded casement window that includes an iron central opening light for each house. Above the doors, there is a gable with a small two-light ovolo-moulded window featuring leaded lattice glazing. The almshouses share a central chimney with two diagonally set shafts. Notable architectural details include a toothed corbel course below the eaves and a low plastered plinth. There are modern single-storey additions at the rear and each end of the building. Surrounding the elongated forecourt garden is a red brick wall, which is taller at the ends and reduced at the front, featuring heavy sloped brick coping that has been reinstated. The entrance includes square gatepiers with stone caps and a 20th-century wrought iron gate. The almshouses serve as a landmark at a bend in the road at the southern end of the village.