Bakers Almshouses

Bakers Almshouses are a group of almshouses built between 1857 and 1866 by T E Knightley. They are constructed of yellow brick with stone dressings and feature a pitched slate roof at the eaves. The buildings are arranged around three sides of an open quadrangle and exhibit an eclectic Italianate style. Most of the almshouses are two storeys high, each consisting of one bay with a gabled porch shared with the neighboring unit. The entrances are decorative with moulded details and panelled doors.

The ground floor windows are round-headed, featuring rusticated gauged brick voussoirs, while the first-floor windows are mainly square-headed with stone architraves. The eaves are bracketed, and there are tall panelled chimneys. Each corner of the building has Italianate belvedere towers topped with low hipped roofs. The central block is more prominent, comprising four bays and includes an inset clock, two corniced doorways, and gabled pavilions on either side with rusticated quoins.

The side wings have a central emphasis with gabled centres and end pavilions that are more elaborate than the intervening units, including projecting balconied bay windows on the first floor. The side wings also feature symmetrical returns to the road frontage, with paired gabled pavilions and rusticated quoins. The rear elevation is also of architectural interest.