19-33, CIRCLE ROAD

Nos. 19 to 33 on Circle Road are a group of almshouses built around 1912 by Sir Reginald Blomfield. The buildings are constructed of red brick with brick dressings and quoins, featuring hipped plain tiled roofs and tall panelled stacks at the centre ridge. The central projections have a wide open segmental arch, and the two identical blocks are connected by a central arcade with three arches and a pediment above, flanked by urns. Each block is two storeys high and has four casement windows on the first floor, with the central windows designed in a "Venetian" style. The entrances are round arches set in panels located in the outer bays of the ground floor, with steps on each side leading to the side entrances for the upper flats. Whiteley Village was established by William Whiteley of Whiteley's stores to provide housing for thrifty elderly individuals and was laid out in an octagonal plan designed by Frank Atkinson, utilizing prominent architects of the time.