HANDSOME historic almshouses are one of the glories of England and few if, any, can be finer or grander than those in the tiny Shropshire village of Preston-on-the-Weald Moors north of Telford, writes Marcus Binney.
Built in the 1720s with money bequeathed by Lady Catherine Herbert, daughter of the 1st Earl of Bradford, they are as noble as contemporary Oxbridge colleges. The grand central hall, flanked by arcaded wings, is open to display through a magnificent set of wrought-iron gates and railings. Warm red brick and pale grey stone are set off by a run of tall sash windows, mostly retaining their chunky early-18th- century glazing bars and crown glass.
The architect is unknown, but one obvious candidate is Francis Smith of Warwick, just conceivably with some help from the great James Gibbs, as the central hall has tall, arched “Gibbs” windows with prominent quoins, just like those seen at Gibbs’s St Martin-in-the-Fields, which was built at the same time — between 1721 and 1726.
The almshouses were unusual in providing a home both for 12 elderly women and for 12 girls between the ages of 7 and 16 who were trained “in whatsoever could make them useful as servants”.
For nearly three centuries they have been well looked after by the Bradford Estate, and they were restored and modernised with the help of Historic Buildings Council grants in the late 1950s. But with further work needed to meet the latest regulations, the costs involved outweighed the benefits and the trustees decided to sell.
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When the almshouses were put on the market in 1999 there was much interest from developers, some of whom had highly unsuitable proposals. The scheme that won support of both planners and the Bradford Estate was put forward by Tim Jackson-Stops, former partner in the estate agents, and Douglas Blane, for years the prime moving force behind the Spitalfields Trust, which has rescued and found solutions for more than 60 early-18th-century terrace houses in London.
Their offer removed the pressure for over-intensive conversion of the almshouses by proposing six new houses designed by the architect Francis Machin in the manner of estate buildings, with a symmetry and gentle formality that matched the original layout. One, the Bothy, is a delightful play on Palladio’s frequent motif of a gable within a gable.
Machin proposed converting the almshouses into a mix of houses and single-storey flats, with two cottages in the entrance lodges and the exteriors left almost completely unaltered. He explains: “In a scheme like this garages have to be provided for all new residents and these can be intrusive. Instead of building lines of garages in isolation we have placed them between the new houses so they have the feeling of a stable block or row of potting sheds.” Machin has also made a clever play on the diamond-pattern pierced brickwork found on Shropshire barns, using blue bricks set back in the facades. The conversion work has been done by Shropshire Homes, which had tackled the 19th-century ear, nose and throat hospital in Shrewsbury.
Howard Thorne, the managing director, says: “We sold 11 of the units before the show house opened last week. The new houses are going to families, the units in the almshouses to a wide mix of people, including first-time buyers and locals who spend time abroad.”
The biggest challenge has been the former hall, 28 ft high and designed to serve as both chapel and schoolroom. This is a magnificent oakpanelled interior with two grand fireplaces and high windows. The purchaser, Ross Lister, has commissioned a young architect, Martin Markcrow, to devise an imaginative way of using the space.
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Working with the structural engineers Atelier One, he has proposed the introduction of a highly sculptural aluminium balcony, set back from the windows so that it is not visible from outside. The full height of the room remains open at either end. “The structure uses technology more associated with Formula One cars or stealth fighters,” he says. To ensure that all building work is carried out to the highest standards they have released the alms-houses to the builders in phases, once they have been sure of the standard of the work. The result is a model conversion where at first glance nothing appears to have changed.
Shropshire Homes: 01743 273830; Savills: 01952 239510