Merchant Venturer's Almshouses

MERCHANT VENTURER'S ALMSHOUSES, 1-9, KING STREET

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1202333
Date first listed:
08-Jan-1959
List Entry Name:
Merchant Venturer's Almshouses
Statutory Address:
MERCHANT VENTURER'S ALMSHOUSES, 1-9, KING STREET
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Location

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Date:
1999-10-26
Reference:
IOE01/01425/20
Rights:
© Mr Peter Frederick Rushby. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1202333
Date first listed:
08-Jan-1959
List Entry Name:
Merchant Venturer's Almshouses
Statutory Address 1:
MERCHANT VENTURER'S ALMSHOUSES, 1-9, KING STREET

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
MERCHANT VENTURER'S ALMSHOUSES, 1-9, KING STREET

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
City of Bristol (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
ST 58714 72705

Details

BRISTOL

ST5872NE KING STREET, Centre 901-1/16/595 (North side) 08/01/59 Merchant Venturers' Almshouses, Nos.1-9 (Consecutive)

GV II*

Almshouses. Dated 1696. Half destroyed by bombing c1940. Render over Pennant rubble, C20 brick end-gable, brick lateral and ridge stacks and pantile hipped roof. Double-depth plan to 2 1/2 sides of a formerly 4-sided courtyard. Early Georgian style. 2 storeys; 5:8:1-window ranges. The W and half the N ranges have gone, leaving a C20 brick gable to the end of the 5-window N range, and hipped roof to the originally-open S range, with a thin drip course and timber modillion eaves cornice. The long range has a central and 2 corner doorways, a right-hand doorway to the S range, and third from left on the N range, with scrolled brackets carved with leaves to open pediment hoods, half over the corner doorways, and timber-frames with boarded doors. Mid C20 casement windows with top-hung casements above transoms, in flush frames. Oculus over the central doorway. The road front is rubble with quoins, 4 windows with thin rubble voussoirs to flat heads, dated panel, and a good carved heraldic panel with merman and merwoman flanking a shield. Tall rear N lateral stacks, and ridge stacks separating houses to E and S sides. INTERIOR: largely refurbished mid C20, dogleg stair in the entrance hall. HISTORICAL NOTE: founded by the Merchant Venturers' Society, for seamen, as attested by the board painted with a poem to their virtues on the N side. Formerly an enclosed courtyard. (Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural History: Bristol: 1979-: 90; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: North Somerset and Bristol: London: 1958-: 434).

Listing NGR: ST5883672707

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
379881
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol, (1958), 434
Gomme, A H, Jenner, M, Little, B D G, Bristol, An Architectural History, (1979), 90

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Merchant Venturer's Almshouses

Map

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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