Tooley Court Tooley'S And Smart'S Almshouses

Tooley's and Smart's Almshouses, also known as Tooley Court, were founded in 1550 by Henry Tooley and received additional endowments in 1591 from William Smart. The entire establishment was rebuilt in 1846, with some 20th-century additions on the east side. The buildings are arranged on three sides of a garden court, with an entrance gatehouse on the west side. They are constructed of red brick and consist of two storeys. Each block features eight window openings arranged in a pattern of 1:3:3:1, with casements set in chamfered reveals. The window openings are now adorned with painted rustications. The side wings contain double ranges with enclosed yards in between. The ends of the blocks have open staircases with heavy balustrade pillars, topped with cables, moulded brick copings, and moulded pillar pinnacles. The roofs are tiled and each block has three square chimney stacks with moulded caps and bases. The central lodge and gatehouse facing Foundation Street are made of red brick with some timber-framed construction featuring brick nogging. A central jettied gable is highlighted by an oriel bay window with leaded lattice lights, situated above a four-centred arched doorway. To the left of the entrance is a timber-framed octagonal tower with brick nogging and a shaped lead domed roof that rises above the gable roof. Tooley's and Smart's Almshouses form a group with No 32.