Framingham'S Hospital

Framingham's Hospital is a group of almshouses built between 1846 and 1848 by Sharman of Spalding. The buildings are made of red brick with stone dressings and feature cut slate roofs. They are arranged in three blocks around a courtyard, connected by short crenellated walls with doorways.

The central block is single-storeyed and has a large projecting central gable, which is supported by diagonal buttresses that end in finials. It features a central arched door flanked by a cinquefoiled light on each side, all of which are covered by square hoods with label stops. Above the door, there are two cinquefoiled lights in the gable, set under a four-centred arch. On either side of the central block, there are arched doorways beneath square hoods, each accompanied by a two-light arched casement window, also with hoods on labels. The building has stone quoins and a cornice along the eaves, topped by a gabled roof with four ridge stacks, each featuring twin decorated flues.

The north and south blocks are smaller versions of the central design. Their central gables are lower, do not project, and lack doorways. The west gable ends of these blocks have polygonal corner turrets topped with tall finials, and each west gable wall features one crenellated oriel. Each block has five ridge stacks.