Description

SW 84 SW KEA HALVARRAS ROAD, Playing Place

2/149 Mr Lanyon's Almshouses and walls
30.5.67 surrounding garden to east

GV II*

Almshouses and garden walls to front. 1726. Built for Lanyon. Painted slatestone
rubble walls, granite sills, oak lintels and windows. flipped scantle slate roof
sweeping very low to rear. Tall rendered chimneys, each with 2 flues over side
walls, and central axial chimney with 4 flues. Original plan of 2 pairs of single-
cell plans with central stair between each pair and narrow, possibly communal,
service area open to continuous rear catslide roof.
2 storeys. Symmetrical 6-window east front arranged as 2 identical 3-window fronts
with 2 doorways towards middle of each. C20 doors with 2 glazed top panels. All 3-
light casements with possibly original oak frames and mullions with internal chamfers
and stops. Lintels over first floor windows have bowtell moulding. Dated stone name
plaque to first floor, middle, with raised letters and one S in the form of a bird.
Rear is blind but light is emitted through old iron skylights in roof.
Interior of third from left inspected and much original structure and detail
survives including ovolo-moulded oak ceiling beams, ovolo-moulded muntins with plank
partition and 2-panel door to first floor room with ovolo-moulded panels and 1
original nailed strap hinge. Original roof structure not inspected.
Granite coped garden walls flanking front linked to house by slate-roofed doorway to
left with old ledged door with iron strap hinges and wooden latch, and earth closet
with slate roof to right. Return walling, parallel to front, and with entrance, has
rubble coping.
It is thought that the ground floor was for men and the first floor for women. Now
divided into 4 units, each with ground and first floor rooms. Despite some
conversion, this is a very intact building retaining its essentialy simple but
functional design.

Listing NGR: SW8133741330

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17555968

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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