Geering'S Almshouses And Attached Walls And Gate

SU4969 HARWELL HIGH STREET 9/112 (East side) 25/10/51 Geering's Almshouses, and attached walls and gate (Formerly listed as Geering's Almshouses)

GV II*

Almshouses. c.1723. Brick plinth; grey brick with red brick dressings; G21 plain-tile roof; brick ridge stacks to left and right of centre, end stacks in end of cross-wings. U-shaped plan. Baroque style. Single-storey, 3-bay central range with single-bay cross-wings to left and right. Round brick arches to centre 3 bays with stone keystones and impost blocks. Through passage to centre, Plank doors to inner face of arcade. 16-pane unburned sashes to courtyard sides of cross-wings with segmental brick heads. Two 12-pane unhorned sashes with segmental brick heads to each end of cross-wings. Flat brick band to base of parapet. Panelled, shaped parapet having shaped gables to cross-wings and concave sweeps to central flat-topped bay. Shaped stone panel, with open pediment to top, to parapet of centre bay, having oval inscribed panel reading "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", Interiors not inspected. Brick walls and Cl9 cast-iron gate close front courtyard. History: Frances Geering (nee Jennings) established a trust fund in 1715 for disposal during her life tine or by her will. Her will, of 1723, directed the purchase of a house or land for tile building of almshouses for 6 poor widows. (Harwell, Village for a Thousand Years, Pub. Harwell P.C. 1985, p31)

Listing NGR: SU4916389167