Waldrons Almshouses and Adjoining Chapel

Details

TIVERTON

SS9512 WELLBROOK STREET, Tiverton
848-1/6/336 Waldron's Almshouses and adjoining
12/02/52 chapel

II*

Almshouses with adjoining chapel. 1579 for John Waldron and
his wife (inscription); almshouses restored 1987, chapel
restored 1990. Local purple volcanic rubble with Beerstone
dressings; gabled slate roof with clay ridge tiles; stone
rubble shouldered stacks with slate coping and rebuilt brick
shafts with moulded stone cornices.
PLAN: chapel at west end, almshouse range to E. The almshouse
range has 4 rear lateral stacks and a 2-storey gallery across
the front between stone rubble end blocks with an external
stair to the first floor at the right (west) end. The
almshouse block was designed for 8 men in single rooms.
EXTERIOR: 2 storey almshouse range; single-storey chapel.
Almshouse has 1:8-bay front. Stone blocks at either end have
panels of carving including a ship (Waldron was a merchant)
the initials of the patron and the text 'Remember the Poore'.
Gallery between has 13 timber Tudor arched openings on a low
stone rubble wall with doorways in the 2nd and 12th bays.
Behind the gallery the front elevation has 4 Tudor arched
doorways with black letter inscription over - Depart they
goods while thou hast time/for after thy death they are not
thine/God Save Queen Elizabeth/ and 4 one-light windows with
ovolo-moulded stone frames.
The doorframes are moulded stone with urn stops and carved
spandrels; plank and cover strip front doors. Windows all
glazed with diamond leaded panes. Above the ground floor
openings the gallery front has moulded timbers with plain
rectangular sunk panels and 6 modern windows above with
boarded panels between. First floor doorways are timber.
External stone steps to right with straight joint to main
front. The rear elevation preserves good rear lateral stacks.
The left (E) return has C20 stone-framed windows.
Text across front elevation under eaves with inscription: John
Walrond merchant and Richord his wife/builded this house in
the time of their life/At such time as the walls were fourteen
foot high/He departed this life even the eighteenth of July
1579/Since youth and life doth pass away/and death at-hand to
end our days/Let us do so that men may say/We spent our goods
God to praise/he that upon the poor doth spend/the goods that
he hath here/To God again the same doth send/and pay the same
with great increase/.
The chapel adjoining at the west end has a projecting porch to
the west and a stone gabled west end bellcote.
The porch has a moulded doorway with carved spandrels and a
deep carved frieze with quatrefoils below a similarly
decorated parapet. 2-light window to left of porch has
elaborate carved label stops and slightly flamboyant tracery.
The west end has a 3-light window withy elaborate carved label
stops and flamboyant tracery - mullions replaced.
Rear elevation of chapel has one small plain round-headed
doorway to west and one 2-light traceried window.
INTERIOR: not inspected. Chapel believed to have a wagon roof.
HISTORY: according to Harding, writing in 1847, the almshouses
were "in a most dilapidated state". A chest tomb to John
Waldron survives in the parish church of St Peter between the
chancel and the South chancel chapel. It is wholly Gothic in
manner.
(Harding Lt. Col F G S: The History of Tiverton: 1847-: 79).




Listing NGR: SS9506112613

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

485436

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Harding, F G S, The History of Tiverton, (1847), 79

End of official list entry

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