Hospital Of The Blessed Holy Trinity

Hospital of the Blessed Holy Trinity

Almshouses built between 1619 and 1622, endowed by George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury. The building is constructed of dark red brick originally with chalk dressings, now replaced with stone, on flint plinths with plain tiled roofs and lead-covered domes on angle turrets of the entrance gateway.

The building is arranged in a rectangular plan around a central courtyard with sides placed approximately to compass points. The entrance front faces south in a half-H shaped plan. The entrance range is two storeys with a third storey in gables at the ends, and a four-storey gatehouse at the centre. Three-storey side wings and a two-storey rear (north) wing complete the composition. The roof features multiple stacks of two designs: the first comprising square flues with chamfered angles and moulded tops, the second with octagonal flues under corbelled tops with spur projections.

The entrance front (south side) has a moulded plinth with stone string courses above the ground and first floors, moulded brick coping to shaped gables of the end wings, and tiled coping to the remainder. Triple stacks sit at the left end and four stacks at the right. Fenestration consists of stone-dressed mullioned and transomed diamond-pane leaded casements, with one 3-light window on the third floor of each gable under label moulding. Each end wing has one 5-light window on the first and ground floors with one 3-light window on each floor of the return sides. Four-light windows appear on each floor either side of the gateway.

The square entrance gateway rises through three floors with a fourth floor in angle turrets, each floor separated by stone string courses. Rectangular single-light leaded casement fenestration on the turrets has windows on the front face on lower floors and upper windows placed in angled faces. A square sundial sits over the central second-floor string course, with a 4-light window below featuring arched heads to the stone mullions. A large 5-light mullioned and transomed window on the first floor is positioned over a 19th-century coat of arms in a scrolled surround. The ground floor features a rusticated stone frontispiece with pedestalled Doric pilaster order supporting an entablature; the pilasters have faceted rustication. A round-arched surround to double doors has an inscribed outer moulding on the arch and faceted rustication on the soffit. The doors are panelled with piered fan-patterned heads, with a coved plaster ceiling in the entrance archway leading to the central courtyard beyond.

The wings have 3-light stone-dressed mullioned fenestration with 4 windows on the ground floor. Two doors in each wing sit in ogee half-octagonal stopped-chamfered surrounds, each giving access to a staircase. Round-arched panelled doors sit in the re-entrant end angles and at the centre, one leading to a passage to the rear garden. The rear wing has 3-light mullioned first-floor fenestration with 4 windows across, and 3 mullioned and transomed windows on the ground floor.

The central feature of the courtyard is a crow-stepped gable with brick corbel decoration across the base. A diagonal clock face in the gable is flanked by terracotta panels. Above sits an octagonal lantern with diamond panel decoration on the plinth, narrow arched openings, and a ribbed dome above under a scrolled weathervane finial. A stone panel over the centre doors records the foundation of the hospital.

The interior retains significant 17th-century features. The Board Room on the first floor of the gatehouse has 17th-century oak panelling with pedestalled fluted Doric pilasters on each wall and a modillioned cornice above. A chalk fireplace features strapwork panelling on the mantle; a small door in the north-west corner to turret stairs retains its original latch and fittings. The lodgings in the wings have common 18th-century staircases and doors with tongued and moulded internal doors.

The Chapel, located in the north-west corner of the courtyard, retains original wooden seating and an almsbox on a turned post. The stained glass is of differing dates, with some dating from the 17th century possibly from Guildford Friary and some being Flemish.

The common dining room features early 17th-century panelling with butted mouldings and a dentilled cornice; the upper range of panels is carved with flat arabesques. A wide 4-centre arched chalk fireplace has a projecting oval hearth, with fixed benches around the walls having moulded baluster legs. An early 18th-century staircase in the north-west angle has a moulded handrail and turned balusters and leads to the hall over the dining room, which has an elaborately carved chalk fireplace.

The hospital was based on that of Archbishop Whitgift in Croydon. Its statutes, drawn up in 1629, provided for 12 brethren and 8 sisters, with the brethren in the west wing and the sisters in the east. The number of sisters was increased to 12 in 1785.

Historically, the Duke of Monmouth was kept in the Board Room for one night on his way back to London following his execution after the Battle of Sedgemoor.