Foord Almshouses Nos 1-47 with Gate and Forecourt Walls Attached is a Grade II* listed building in the Medway local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 October 1950. A C17 Almshouses. 9 related planning applications.

Foord Almshouses Nos 1-47 with Gate and Forecourt Walls Attached

WRENN ID
strange-pillar-cream
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Medway
Constituency
Rochester and Strood MP: Lauren Edwards (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 October 1950
Type
Almshouses
Address
Foord Almshouses Nos 1-47 with Gate and Forecourt Walls Attached, Priestfields
OS grid reference
TQ 737 671
Coordinates
51.37694, 0.49466
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: EPC · related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Foord Almshouses, Nos 1-47, with an attached gate and forecourt walls, were built in 1926 and designed by architect E Guy Dawber. The almshouses are constructed from Flemish bond red brick with stone dressings and feature Kent tile roofs. The layout is in a 'U' shape, forming a courtyard known as Cour d'honneur, which includes a forecourt with a gate and walls.

The buildings are primarily single storey, with two-storey pavilions. They are designed in a neo-vernacular style reminiscent of the 17th century, incorporating Baroque elements. The central axial hall features a three-bay arcaded loggia adorned with four bas relief roundels in the spandrels. There are two additional gabled bays that include mullion and transomed windows, coped parapet gables with finials, and two-light casements in the gables. Above the loggia, the gable of the hall is recessed and has one arched window along with two cross gables. A copper spire with a cupola and dome crowns the structure.

The east and west wings contain four-light casements, segmental pedimented doors, and gabled dormers, all under steep roofs with tall stacks. The pavilions at the angles have conical roofs. The two-storey cross-axis pavilions feature two bays with gables at the center and two dormers on the roofs. The returned gables advance into the courtyard. Two additional single-storey wings mirror the details of those on the north side.

At the entrance, two two-storey pavilions with attics have central gabled bays featuring five-light casements and cross windows to the staircases, along with gabled oriels facing the courtyard. A single stack is positioned on the central axis. The Baroque-style segmental pedimented gate, dated 1927, is flanked by Ionic pilasters and large scroll console brackets, with a balustrade on the east and west sides enclosing the south front of the courtyard. The forecourt is enhanced by an axial wrought iron gate with an overhead lamp. A stone-coped brick dwarf wall features two stone-coped and finialed piers at the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest corners, with taller walls returning to connect with the angle pavilions at the south front.

Local climate

Foord Almshouses Nos 1-47 with Gate and Forecourt Walls Attached sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 84% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 74% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 23 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 76% of listed buildings. Of these, 11 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • Related listed building consents — 9 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
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  • Radon risk assessment
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