The Almshouses

Summary

A row of twenty-two almshouses with one attached to rear. Dating from 1427-8, with a bay to left end (No.1) which appears to be slightly earlier. Much altered in C16 they were restored 1892 and again restored, modernised and extended to the rear in 1982-4 by Badger, Harrison and Cross for the Guild of the Holy Trinity. Timber-frame with plaster infill on renewed ashlar plinth; tile roof with five C16 brick stacks to front of ridge.

Reasons for Designation

The Almshouses, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon are listed at Grade I for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest: the group of almshouses, which date from the early C15, form a large and uniform composition. The use of so much timber in the close studded walling, a bracketed jetty and the oriel windows all mark this as a prestigious project with accomplished carpentry;

Historic interest: a notably early example of the provision of care for the elderly and infirm;

Intactness: although the building has undergone some alteration in the C19 and C20, this is to be expected in a building of this age and type. The degree of intact survival in a building of this age and extent is notable;

Context: the Almshouses make a notable contribution to the timber-framed architecture which is a particular feature of Stratford-upon-Avon.

History

Built by the Guild of the Holy Cross in 1427-8, whose hall they adjoin, the almshouses were much altered in the C16 and restored in 1892 by Charles Flower. The two-storied buildings were again restored, extended and modernised in 1982-84 for the Guild of the Holy Trinity. According to HE Forrester (see SOURCES), the ground floor rooms were occupied by elderly married couples and are entered from the street or garden. The upper series were occupied by single or widowed elderly people, and were formerly entered from the gallery that ran the whole length of the rear. Probably the oldest surviving domestic building in Stratford.

Details

EXTERIOR: the road front, of approximately 50 metres, has two storeys, both with walling of close-studded framing. The first floor is jettied, supported on joist ends with arched braces beside the entrances. There is a central Tudor-headed entrance with enriched spandrels and paired doors and a blocked entrance to left. There are seven pairs of doors with Tudor heads to the doorways and a further single doorway to the right hand end, all with renewed plank doors. That to No.1 has a moulded architrave with mason's mitres. Windows, mostly of three lights with leaded glazing, placed in pairs between the doors. At first floor level there are shallow, four by four-light oriels over the central entrance and flanking each pair of entrances. No.1 has a three-light window to the ground floor. Stacks have two shafts and there is an end stack to No.1.
The rear is believed to have had an open first floor gallery, now replaced by a C20 brick rear range.

INTERIOR: exposed timber-framing and chamfered beams; two stairs to upper rooms flanking central entrance passage.


This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24/02/2012

(Formerly listed as Nos 1-10, 12-22 (Consecutive) and 24, The Almshouses

(Formerly Listed as: CHURCH STREET (East side)
Nos.1-11 (Consecutive)
The Almshouses)

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

366205

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Bearman, R, Stratford Upon Avon A History of its streets and buildings, (1988), 24
Forrest, H E, The Old Houses of Stratford upon Avon, (1925), 25-34
Pevsner, N, Wedgwood, A, The Buildings of England: Warwickshire, (1966), 419
Puddephat, W, Transactions of the Birmingham Archaeological Society in The Guild Chapel and Other Guild Buildings of Stratford upon Avon, (1987)

End of official list entry

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