Spurways Almshouses

Spurways Almshouses is a row of four almshouses, now used as two, with origins dating back to the 16th century. It underwent significant alterations in the early 19th and 20th centuries. The building is constructed from snecked local volcanic trap, with some unusually large blocks. The front elevation is partly plastered, while the returns and rear elevation are roughcast. It features a slate roof that is gabled at both ends, and has front lateral stone stacks with renewed brick shafts.

The plan is rectangular, with 20th-century single-storey lean-tos added at the rear. The exterior is two storeys high, presenting a symmetrical five-bay front. The four shouldered lateral stacks project slightly, and the roof rises in the centre bay, which is wider and slightly recessed on the ground floor, marked by a 19th-century chamfered timber post. Steps leading up to the centre suggest that this was once a doorway. Behind the post, there are a pair of windows with cranked heads, sharing the same chamfered timber lintel, which is late 16th century, while the rest of the structure is from the 19th century. The windows are glazed with lozenge leaded panes, and all other windows are 19th-century crank-headed two-light iron casements with lozenge-shaped panes, except for the first-floor window in the centre bay, which has leaded panes.

Each bay flanking the centre has a ground floor window with a narrow blocked door alongside and one first-floor window. The outer bays each have one ground and one first-floor window. The centre bay displays a West of England fire insurance sign. The walling on the left return is very uneven, suggesting that a stack may have been removed. The rear and return elevations have 20th-century casements and half-glazed timber doors. The interior was not available for inspection at the time of the survey but may contain interesting features, including the possibility of an early roof structure. The almshouses are said to be dated 1557 and were endowed by Humphry Spurway.