Love'S Charity

Love's Charity is a building that was originally a school, opened on September 29, 1734. It was founded based on the will of Robert Love from Basing Park, who left £1,000, later increased by £300. The building has since been converted into a house after the charity was absorbed by the Charity Commissioners in 1875, and a new school was built by Sir A. Blomfield at High Cross in the same year.

The structure features red brick walls in Flemish bond with a plinth and a hipped tiled roof that has a catslide at the rear and two hipped dormers. The symmetrical south front has two storeys and an attic with five windows. The windows are mullion and transom with leaded lights. The doorway has a plain frame, enclosing two fanlight leaded lights and a boarded door, all beneath a moulded canopy supported by carved brackets. Above the door, there is a stone panel inscribed with 'THE GIFT OF ROBERT LOVE ESQ 1733'. Inside, there is an old oak staircase. There are also minor 20th-century additions, including a garage at the west end.