John Penn And Widow Smith Almshouses

A small group of almshouses arranged in a shallow U-shape around a grass court, dating from 1884. The buildings are constructed of red brick with freestone dressings. They are a single storey with an attic, featuring an irregular arrangement of windows. The roof is steeply pitched and tiled, with pierced ridge tiles. Dormer windows are set into the roof, with large, flush gabled forms; the gable ends of these dormers have blank tracery. A unique feature is the group of conjoined hexagonal chimney shafts. The attic windows are mullioned and transomed, with two lights. Ground floor windows are three-light with stone mullions and four-centred heads. The doors also have similar four-centred head detailing, two of which are set within a projecting central feature with a traceried parapet and central gable, with a small window positioned between them. Two further doors are contained in projecting porches. All projections are embellished with stepped diagonal buttresses. An inscription on a plaque below the central porch gable reads: "These almshouses were erected in memory of John Penn by his widow Ellen Penn. AnoD MDCCCIXXXIV."