Hickey'S Almshouses, Including Chapel And Lodges

Dating from 1834 and designed by Vulliamy, Hickey’s Almshouses comprise a central block, flanking ranges, a gatehouse, and a caretaker's house, all arranged around an open courtyard. Constructed of grey brick with stone dressings and slate pitched roofs, the buildings are executed in a Tudor Gothic style. The central block is dominated by a chapel, featuring a perpendicular Gothic window above the entrance and a stepped gable topped with an ogee-domed bellcote finial and pinnacles. Flanking the chapel and adjoining it are six-bay almshouses, with two double Tudor arched doors. End bays are gabled and project slightly. The windows are tripartite mullioned, with leaded lights and dripstones; the central lights under the gables break upward. The eaves are present except on the gables, which have parapets. Prominent Tudor style chimneys are a notable feature. The side blocks each have four bays plus a central double doorway, joined to the central block by Tudor arched doorways with stepped gables. An arcaded cloister runs along the far side of the outer blocks. The two-storeyed gatehouse has two bay wings flanking a central archway, with similar detailing including polygonal buttresses to the corners, some with ogee-domed finials, and a castellated parapet. The caretaker's house has a steep pitched roof and matching detailing. Cast-iron railings with quatrefoils are set upon castellated brick piers, enclosing the site and running along the gatehouse and joining with the cloisters.