The Almshouses

TQ 62 40 PEMBURY HASTINGS ROAD

13/364 Nos 9-19 (odd), The Almshouses 20.10.54 GV II

Row of almshouses. A plaque is inscribed, "The Gift of Charles Amherst of Bayhill, Esq. 1716. Repaired by Earl Camden 1802", modernised 1967-68. Pebbledashed brick on exposed footings of coursed sandstone blocks. Stucco band and hoodmoulds. The end walls show exposed Flemish bond red brick with decorative burnt headers (including the flat band) which is possibly early C18 since the gables are built up with clearly later red brick. Brick stacks, maybe with stone bases, and brick chimneyshafts. Peg-tile roof.

Plan: Row of 6 contemporary one-room plan cottages facing south south west, say south, and numbering 9-19 (odd) from left (west) to right (east). Centre passage through a communal room in a bay projecting very slightly forward. Cottages each side (Nos 13 and 15) have axial stacks backing onto the cottages further each side. The end pairs of cottages (Nos 9 and 11), and Nos 17 and 19) have mirror plans either side of an axial stack serving back-to-back fireplaces. Each cottage has entrance hall and main stair the other end from the stack.

All cottages are 2 storeys with various C20 extensions to rear.

Exterior: Symmetrical 3:2:3-window front in a restrained Tudor Gothic style. All cottage windows have C20 casements with glazing bars, the ground floor ones with Tudor style hoodmoulds. Cottages have early C19 plank doors with coverstrips. The 2 cottage doorways each end have gabled hoods with open wavy bargeboards carried on curving timber brackets. Doorways to the centre 2 cottages are sheltered by the ends of a tiled pent roof supported on rustic posts across the front of the centre bay. Centre doorway (to the communal room) flanked by fixed pane windows containing rectangular panes of old leaded glass. First floor single light windows flank the inscribed sandstone datestone which is also carved with a coat of arms. This centre bay is gabled with ornamental open cusped bargeboards with large pendants. Main roof is gable-ended with similar (and more complete) bargeboards each end.

Interior: Only limited access was available at the time of this survey. Only C20 detail showed. No carpentry was exposed. Roof not inspected.

Listing NGR: TQ6260140732