The Alms Court is a Grade II listed building in the Vale of White Horse local planning authority area, England. First listed on 6 August 1952. Almshouses. 3 related planning applications.
The Alms Court
- WRENN ID
- odd-wattle-laurel
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Vale of White Horse
- Constituency
- Witney MP: Charlie Maynard (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 6 August 1952
- Type
- Almshouses
- Address
- The Alms Court, 1-7, Lyford
- OS grid reference
- SU 392 942
- Coordinates
- 51.64597, -1.43465
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Alms Court, also known as Nos. 1-7, is a group of almshouses built in the mid to late 18th century. The structure features Flemish bond brick with flared headers, while the rear and outer walls are made of limestone rubble. It has a gabled roof covered with 20th-century tiles, as well as some older tiles on the side wings, and brick ridge stacks. The layout is a courtyard plan that opens to the front.
The building is one storey high with an attic and has a four-window front range. The central two bays project and are topped with a gable, featuring a mid-19th century porch and door. This is flanked by tall single lights with segmental arches and lead lattice. The outer bays have segmental arches over two-light leaded casements and an adjoining plank door, with two-light dormer casements above. Each side wing has a twelve-window range, with similar doors and two-light leaded casements facing the courtyard, along with dormer casements. The eaves are adorned with dentilled brick detailing.
Although the current building dates from around 1760-1770, the almshouses were originally founded in 1611 by Oliver Ashcombe. The interior has not been inspected.
Local climate
The Alms Court receives an average of 740 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 74% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 65% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 54% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 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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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 3 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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