Whetstone'S Almshouses

Whetstone's Almshouses is a group of six almshouses, originally built in 1635 and modified in the early 20th century. The structure is made of ham stone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof featuring coped gables and brick chimney stacks. It has a 'U'-shaped plan and stands two stories tall with an eight-bay south elevation, where the outer bays project outward by one wide bay. The windows are hollow-chamfered mullioned types set in chamfered recesses, all three-light with horizontal-bar inserts. Each center light has an iron-framed opening casement. The first bay has a plain end gable, while the sixth bay features a blocked three-light window in a pointed-arched recess, which once lit the chapel. Similar windows are found on the returns, with cambered-arched doorways located near the internal corners. There are pairs of matching doors in the wide spaces between bays three and four, and five and six. A continuous label runs over all ground floor openings and continues around the returns, but not on the gables. The east and west elevations each have three bays and one doorway, and these sides appear to have been less restored than the south elevation. The interiors have not been seen. The almshouses were founded by John Whetstone, Gentleman, in 1635, as noted by the inscription over the gateway.