Gateway to Barber's Almshouses

Gateway to Barber’s Almshouses dating to 1899 by architects WG Osborne and Langham and Cole.

MATERIALS: Wealden sandstone ashlar dressings with metal gate.

PLAN: the gateway is located at the main entrance courtyard to the Barber’s Almshouses, fronting onto Elms Avenue. Brick dwarf walling extends from either side of the gateway along property boundary line.

EXTERIOR: the south-west elevation of the gateway, features a central arched opening with moulded bands and Gibbs-style intermittent large voussoirs with a central keystone. Tuscan style pilasters are located at either side, extending from the plinth up to the impost, topped by a pair of vase shaped pilasters with decorative panels surmounted by Tuscan capitals. The entablature consists of a broken and open segmental pediment, featuring dentil mouldings on the cornice and an obelisk finial. The tympanum comprises a frieze containing ornamental foliate and swag mouldings, mythical creatures and a centrally positioned female human face below which rests the dedication stone. The text on the stone reads: “THESE ALMSHOUSES WERE BUILT ENDOWED AND DEDICATED TO THE POOR OF THE PARISH OF ST GEORGE RAMSGATE, BY THE WILL OF FRANCES BARBER FOR MANY YEARS A RESIDENT IN THAT TOWN, IN ORDER TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND FRANCIS CHARLES BARDER AND HER ONLY SON WILLIAM CHARLES BARBER.” Two consoles are positioned on either side of the gateway and on the rear elevation, which faces the almshouses, there are plain panels and no ornamental mouldings in the tympanum. An ornamental metal gate, painted black, hangs fixed into the stonework by two hinges either side, located towards the top and the bottom of the gate. It exhibits a symmetrical design with alternating diamond and scrolled bars to the upper panel, cross bars and scrolled framing to the middle panel, and alternating waved and straight bars to the lower. It is crowned by scrolled detailing formed from both gates.