Almshouses

The almshouses date from the late 18th century and are situated near the site of a former abbey, which was replaced by kitchen gardens around 1840. The main block is a long, two-story range constructed of rubble stone with a renewed slate roof. Yellow brick ridge stacks are located at the ends and in the centre of the building. The front, originally facing south towards a lane, now fronts a road leading down toward the abbey. The south front features four narrow dressed stone doorways, each with a two-centred arched head and continuous chamfered mouldings. Two of these doorways have planked doors and are positioned towards the ends, while the other two have glazing and are located centrally. Between the central and outer doorways are pairs of two-light casement windows set under continuous stone lintels. The upper story has eight two-light casement windows with stone sills and timber lintels, along with two skylights to the roof. There are no openings to the gable ends, although there is evidence of alterations to the east gable.

A late 20th-century gabled wing, with flanking lean-tos, has been added to the north side of the main range, built using matching materials. This wing has a central front door under a flat lintel, flanked by two-light casement windows, with matching windows to the fronts of the lean-tos. A further window is located in the gable, with a roundel in the gable apex. There are high-level openings to the sides of the wing and a glazed door to the right lean-to. Pairs of windows in the upper story of the main range flank the added wing.

The almshouses are arranged with a lobby entry for each of the four units. The two central doorways are positioned back-to-back, facing fireplaces. Stone fireplaces are present at the ends, with splayed jambs and chamfered timber lintels featuring hollow filleted stops. Stone fireplaces stairs are located to the rear of the second and fourth units from the left, the latter with a late 20th-century timber treads. Bakeovens are incorporated into the jambs of the fireplaces of the first and third units from the left, each with a stone voussoired head. Adjacent to one of the bakeovens is a long recess. Chamfered ceiling joists are visible, some of which have been replaced. The partition between the first and second units has been removed, while a new partition between the third and fourth units has replaced an earlier division. A notable feature of the building is the presence of small square recesses in the walls, presumably for storage – typically two or three per unit. A new doorway in the second unit leads north to a late 20th-century extension designed as a kitchen.

The upper story is partially within the roof space. The late 20th-century roof structure is pegged to match the character of the original. A stone fireplace is present at the west end, with a recess in one of the jambs. Small square recesses are also found in the walls of the upper story. Windows have splayed openings and stone sills. The upper story is otherwise modernized.