Geering'S Almshouses And Attached Walls And Gate

Geering's Almshouses, built around 1723, are a notable example of Baroque-style almshouses located on High Street in Harwell. The structure features a brick plinth and is constructed from grey brick with red brick dressings, topped with a plain-tile roof. The building has a U-shaped plan with a single-storey, three-bay central range flanked by single-bay cross-wings on either side.

The central three bays are adorned with round brick arches that include stone keystones and impost blocks. There is a through passage at the center, and plank doors lead to the inner face of the arcade. The courtyard sides of the cross-wings have 16-pane unburned sash windows with segmental brick heads, while each end of the cross-wings features two 12-pane unhorned sash windows, also with segmental brick heads. A flat brick band runs along the base of the parapet, which is panelled and shaped, displaying shaped gables on the cross-wings and concave sweeps on the central flat-topped bay.

Prominently, the central bay has a shaped stone panel with an open pediment at the top, inscribed with the words: "The gift of Frances Geering, deceased, late wife of William Geering, gent, and one of the daughters of Edward Gennings, Esq., late of this place, A.D. 1715." The interiors have not been inspected. The front courtyard is enclosed by brick walls and a 19th-century cast-iron gate. Frances Geering established a trust fund in 1715, which was later directed by her will in 1723 to fund the construction of these almshouses for six poor widows.