History

The Dolhendre almshouses were founded in 1721 by the Rev Maurice Vaughan of Caer Gai, Canon of Windsor. The foundation provided for the relief of 6 old people of the parish and was endowed with 2 tenements, Ty Mawr and Ty'n y Cae farms, together with the interest on £200 for continuing maintenance. A slate inscription plaque on the building places the actual erection of the building in 1731. In the late C19 the almshouses were extensively restored, being raised from one storey to two and being given a continuous lean-to extension to the rear. External porches were added during a further restoration in 1959. Whilst the accommodation consisted of 6 units from the C19 onwards, it appears that formerly there were only 3 units, suggesting that the original inhabitants were three married couples.

Exterior

Two-storey former almshouse range consisting of six one-window units. Of slatestone rubble construction under a continuous slate roof with tiled ridge and oversailing verges; plain bargeboards. Four late C19 brick chimneys with pots. The units are arranged as three reflected pairs and face SE with the rear backing onto the road. The front elevation has paired entrances to each of the three pairs now contained within single-storey roughcast lean-to porches; side entrances to these. Four-pane late C19 casement windows to both floors, those to the first floor larger. The road-facing rear elevation has a continuous slated lean-to which returns to wrap around the SW gable end; 6 modern skylights to this, together with a modern window to the penultimate south-eastern unit. The original slate dedication plaque is inset in the NE end wall of the lean-to addition (relocated in the late C19). Two windows as before to each unit on the first floor.

Adjacent to the almshouse range at either end are single-storey coal shed blocks contemporary with the late C19 remodelling. These are of rubble construction with slate roofs and engineering brick quoins to plain boarded doors.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as an essentially late C19 cottage row, the rebuilding of an earlier, second-quarter C18 almshouse complex, retaining strong vernacular character.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29484325

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)