Llewellyns Almshouses With Gate And Walls

WELLS

ST5445 PRIEST ROW 662-1/7/204 (East side) 24/07/89 Llewellyns Almshouses, Nos 1-17 (consecutive), with gate and walls

GV II

Almshouses. Founded 1614, mostly rebuilt 1887-1901 to designs by Charles Brown: Nos 1-5 1887, Nos 11-15 1892. Local red and grey stone squared and random coursed, with Doulting ashlar stone dressings, Welsh slate roof between coped gabled, brick chimney stacks. PLAN: in two ranges at right angles to the road, linked by a screen wall with gate, forming a small quadrangle. Nos 8-16 to south face, Nos 1-5 which has smaller pair (6 & 7) attached at inner end. Street elevation has end gables, with one window each level, 3-light chamfer mullioned with square label below and 2-light above, lean-to addition to rear of each block, the south range gable having an extra single-light window at a mezzanine level. North range has 5+2 houses, the south range 10, the two odd houses on the east of the north range may incorporate C17 work. EXTERIOR: each house of 2 storeys, one bay, with two-light transomd casement windows in chamfered stone surrounds, the lower window offset to right on north range and left on south range to accommodate the entrance, boarded doors set in chamfered 4-centre arches, with pitched slate roof open porches on brackets. The smaller cottages, Nos 6 and 7, on north side in random rubble with ashlar dressings, and very shallow pitch slated roof with central brick chimney stack, each 2 storey, one bay, with 2-light chamfer mullioned windows to each floor; outside these are boarded doors set in chamfered elliptical archways. INTERIOR: not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the ranges linked on the west side by a matching wall of 1.5m stepped to 2m high, with semicircular headed niches at mid-length of each length of wall on either side of the entrance, which has a stepped coped gable framing a pair of wrought-iron gates in a 4-centred arch, over which is an inscription "Llewellyns Almshouses founded 1614 rebuilt 1887", with a shield above. Extending northwards from north range a short continuation of the boundary wall nearly 3m high, with a 4-centre arched gateway with label, and boarded gate, at the north end, similar wall southwards from south range, with 2 gates at south end, all part of the overall design of the 1887 buildings, and adding to their setting and the streetscape generally.

Listing NGR: ST5469145703