Listing Text

BARNSTAPLE

SS5632 TRINITY STREET
684-1/5/251 (East side)
19/01/51 Salem Almshouses

GV II

Almshouses, originally for 24 men and women. 1834. Founded by
Charles Roberts. Snecked local stone rubble, with tie rods;
natural slate roof; brick stacks with corbelled cornices and
some old pots.
3 ranges arranged as an overall U-plan, fronting a pitched
stone courtyard with a low wall (railings missing) to the
street. Each unit has one heated front room, a rear service
room and an axial stair cell between. Plans have been altered
to accommodate a shared bathroom to each 2 units with separate
access.
2 storeys. Segmental-headed windows and doorways, the doorways
with recessed plank and cover strip doors, the windows with
flat stone arches and pretty, tall, 3-light casements, with 10
panes per light with Gothick arched heads to the upper panes.
Regular, symmetrical 8-window main range (including false,
painted windows). Left and right doors and 2 pairs of doors
towards the centre. One window to each unit on the ground
floor and one to the first floor plus first-floor painted
windows to preserve the regularity. The projecting return
ranges each have 3 doors and 3 windows.
The gable ends of the return ranges have one ground and one
first-floor window to match the others and stone plaques in
the gable reading (left-hand range) 'Salem almshouses erected
by Charles Roberts 1834 for 24 men and women' and (right-hand
range) 'he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord'. Some
later additions to the rear.
INTERIOR: No.6 inspected, includes original wall cupboards
with strap hinges, boxed stair and plank door between front
and rear room.
Close to the the rear of Penrose almshouses, Litchdon Street
(qv) and a late example of a particularly good set of
almshouses in Barnstaple and Pilton.

Listing NGR: SS5612532929