Frowds Almshouses

Frowds Almshouses, built in 1750, are located on Bedwin Street and consist of 12 consecutive units. This two-storey building features a nine-bay façade made of red brick with brick quoins set on a raised plinth. The eaves cornice is moulded, and the gable end has an old tile roof. The central bay slightly projects and has a moulded wood cornice that is broken forward over rusticated quoins and extends into a pediment.

The main entrance is a six-panelled arched door set within a wood doorcase. This doorcase is surrounded by panelled pilasters and an architrave with a round arch and a carved scroll keystone, flanked by rusticated Doric pilasters. The architrave continues across the door, featuring a bracketed frieze and cornice that is also broken forward over the pilasters, topped with a segmental, moulded open pediment that has a scroll frame and an inscription in the tympanum. Above the door is a small central Palladian window, which is supported by Doric pilasters and an entablature.

Each wing of the building has four segmental-headed two-light casement windows with three-pane top lights, dating from the early 19th century. At the back, there is a long corridor on the ground floor that includes a brick arcade supported by square piers. Above each arch in this arcade are circular panels, with seven of them (in the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 17th bays) featuring leaded lights. The entire structure has 17 bays in total, and the roof is topped with a central octagonal lantern. The arched lights throughout have moulded architrave heads and keystones set in recessed panels with moulded surrounds. The roof also features a moulded cornice and an ogee leaf design, capped with a ball finial supported by wrought iron scrollwork.

Frowds Almshouses, along with Nos 26 to 34 (even) and Taylor's Almshouses, form a group of significant buildings.