Summary
Former house of the C15 and C16; adapted in the late C17 to almshouses, including a separate unit (97a South Street) formed of the southern half of the front range. Later additions, alterations and repairs, including periods of remodelling in the mid-and late C20.
Reasons for Designation
The Daniel Taylor Almshouses, The Porch House and the walls to the rear, which date from the C15 to the C19, are listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* there is evidence of historic alterations which speak clearly of the evolution of the complex, from a C15 and C16 probable dwelling to almshouses in the late C17;
* there have been later alterations and some internal reconfiguration, but these have not compromised the integrity of the buildings and a substantial proportion of early fabric survives;
* the building retains some high-quality interior features such as moulded ceiling beams, chamfered stone fire surrounds and an arch-braced roof.
Historic interest:
* the almshouses represent a relatively early example of a charitable foundation which has provided care for the town’s poor since 1696.
Group value:
* the building forms a strong historic grouping with the adjacent Quaker meeting house (Grade II) and the Quaker burial ground (walls listed at Grade II) to the east.
History
Late-C17 documents record that a complex of medieval and post-medieval buildings on the east side of South Street, which included a house with an L-shaped plan, was purchased by Daniel Taylor, a successful merchant and one of Bridport’s most prominent Quakers. By deed in 1696 he gave the northern part of the complex in trust to be used as almshouses for ‘poor persons of the borough of Bridport to dwell in (British Farthings, see Sources)’. It remained his dwelling until his death in 1714. The southern part was conveyed to the Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) who, for some time, had been meeting in a building there; this was subsequently registered as a meeting house in 1708.
The earliest of the buildings in the complex, originally probably a two-room, through-passage dwelling fronting onto South Street, dates from the C15 and was extended in the C16 when a north range was added at right angles to it. Together they enclose two sides of a small courtyard. Attached to the north range is a short, slightly-offset addition that dates probably from the later C16, and beyond (south-east) is a rear range which is accessed from the courtyard via a covered passage in the later C16 addition. A Charity Commissioners report from 1836 records that there were 19 inhabitants at the almshouses, living in the nine double and one single apartments. By 1873, as depicted on a plan of this date, the apartments had been reconfigured, with five arranged over two floors and the rest of one storey. The southern part of the front range (Caretaker’s Cottage, 97a South Street), which had been given to the Quakers along with the adjacent meeting house (Grade II listed), is shown on the 1873 plan as ‘Warder’s Cottage’. The range to the rear of the complex appears to have been rebuilt in 1866. A comprehensive programme of refurbishment was carried out in the 1960s when the number of apartments was reduced. The work included reconfiguring the internal layout, with the introduction of new partitions, openings, staircase and modern finishes, along with the removal of some historic fittings. Further remodelling took place in 1984 when the number of apartments was reduced to the present arrangement of six, plus the former warder’s accommodation.
Details
Former house of the C15 and C16; adapted in the late C17 to almshouses, including a separate unit (97a South Street) formed of the southern half of the front range. Later additions, alterations and repairs, including periods of remodelling in the mid-and late C20.
MATERIALS: constructed of limestone (Bothenhampton Forest Marble) rubble, brought to course and painted in parts, under slate roofs with raised copings to the front range and short east range. The front range has end chimneystacks of red brick; the south chimney inset slightly from the gable end; a ridge stack to the north range and end stacks to the east range; all have been rebuilt at various dates.
PLAN: the building has an accretional, roughly L-shaped plan comprising a C15 front (west) range, formerly a two-unit through-passage house, and a C16 north range at right angles; these define two sides of a small courtyard. Attached to the east side of the north range is a shorter, slightly-offset east range, probably later C16, which contains a covered passage. To the south-east, beyond the courtyard to the rear, is a range which was rebuilt in 1866 and is orientated west-east. The south and east sides of the courtyard are enclosed by the adjacent Grade II-listed Quaker meeting house (97 South Street).
EXTERIOR: the building is of two storeys. The principal, four-bay front facing onto South Street has an entrance to the right of centre with a round-headed, stone surround with fluted, early-C19 reveals and a six-panel door. To the left are two, mid- to late-C20 eight/eight sash windows under segmental heads, to the right is a three-light casement window, and at first-floor level there are two mid- to late-C20, two-light casements and an earlier three-light casement. The central first-floor window is a C20 insertion. There is a stone corbel set high in the north gable wall and evidence for a blocking. The sides of the passage are boarded, and there is a timber plank door on the south side and the floor is laid with Forest marble slabs. The rear (east) elevation has metal-framed, single-light, leaded casements hung on pintles to the ground and first floors on the right side of the passage and C20 three-light, metal casements in enlarged openings on the opposite side. Further to the left (south) is a large area of patching or infill in the stonework which may indicate the position of a former doorway or possibly a stair turret. The courtyard elevation of the north range has altered openings, with C20 timber casements of one, two and three lights and a doorway in the left-hand bay. At the east end of the north range is a doorway with a depressed four-centred arch and a stone staircase to the upper floor; its newel also serves as part of the door frame. There is a modern door at the top of the stairs. The north wall of the adjacent passageway is built of brick and contains a doorway with modern door. The floor of the passage is laid with stone and the opening at the east end has a concrete lintel. The windows in the rear elevation of the offset east range are C18 casements of two and three lights; those to the ground floor under replacement lintels. The later range at the rear (east) has a regular arrangement of door and window openings under segmental-arched heads and stone cills. The windows are two-light, pegged timber casements, and the doors are six-panelled. The east gable end has a later external brick staircase with metal balustrade providing access to a door at first-floor level, and a small window to both the ground and first floors. The openings have concrete lintels and drip moulds. The timber, single-light casement windows in the left return are also C20 and include paired windows with a brick infill between them.
INTERIOR: a doorway in the through passage opens onto the ground floor in the southern half of the front range (97a South Street). The timber ledged, plank door is C18 or C19, but has re-used C17 strap hinges. The ground-floor room has a fireplace, much reduced in size; cupboards with short strap hinges within and to the right of the chimney breast; a modern wooden winder stairs and a rough-hewn, chamfered ceiling beam. The room on the opposite side of the passage retains hollow-chamfered and moulded ceiling beams, with carved paterae to the central beam, and moulded wall plates. On the first floor there is a square-headed fireplace with a chamfered stone surround in the north wall, a rough-hewn, deep ceiling beam that appears to have been strengthened, and the exposed end of an arch-braced truss. The principal rafters are collared, with a central one a closed truss, and there is a single row of purlins. The present entrance to the north range opens onto a lobby which has a C16 roll-moulded ceiling beam which continues through into the adjacent room to the right (east). The staircase is C20. It is understood that the north and east ranges retain some historic features. There are two fire surrounds, one with mitred chamfers; moulded ceiling beams, including a large axial beam with hollow-moulded chamfers and run-out stops in the rear ground-floor room of the east range; and the lower parts of the roof trusses are exposed in the north range.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: limestone rubble walls to the rear of the east range define two sides of a small yard. The east wall, which contains a square-headed opening, turns ninety degrees and continues on a west-east alignment as far as the Quaker burial ground (walls listed at Grade II).
