V.—FRAMEWORK KNITTERS' ALMSHOUSES.
Description and date of structure.
Thomas Bourne, by his will of 14th August, 1727, provided for the
erection and maintenance of an almshouse, within five miles of London,
for twelve poor freemen of the Framework Knitters' Company, or part
freemen and the other part freemen's widows. (fn. 1) On 29th June, 1734,
Joseph Ingram, son and heir of William Ingram, the owner of the "Roger
Haryong" lands, (fn. 2) sold (fn. 3) to the Bourne trustees, a piece of freehold ground,
part of his field, "scituate on the east side of the road leading from Shoreditch towards Kingsland . . . containing in length, from south to
north, fronting the said road, 200 feet, and in depth from west to
east . . . . 100 feet, adjoining north on certain almshouses belonging
to the company of Ironmongers (?) . . . abutting south on the
said almshouses, west on the high road."
The almshouses, which were erected in the same year, (fn. 4) consisted of
twelve cottages, each of one storey and basement, forming three sides of a
parallelogram (Plates 56 to 58). The space between the buildings and Kingsland Road was occupied by a garden, and there was also an allotment
garden in the rear. The cottages were constructed of red brick with
gauged brick dressings, with a moulded deal modillion cornice to the eaves,
and were covered with a tiled roof. The two central cottages were slightly
advanced to form a projection in the general facade of the main block, and
formed a central feature under a low-pitched pediment containing a large
commemorative panel. An elliptical-arched passageway through the centre
gave access down a flight of stone steps to the back gardens, which, being
at a lower level than the front, thereby afforded light and access to the
basement storey of the main block. The north and south wings obtained
their light to the basement by front windows placed high up in the room
and overlooking the garden.
Except in the case of Nos. 1 and 12, which had two rooms on the
ground floor, the interior of each tenement consisted of one room in the
ground floor, (fn. 5) with staircase leading down to a washhouse in the basement.
Nos. 6 and 10 had also attics with dormer windows in the rear.
The premises were partly demolished in 1907, after new almshouses
had been erected in Stoughton Lane, Oadby, near Leicester, and the
remainder was removed a few years later.
In the Council's collection are:—
(fn. 6) General view of almshouses, circ. 1854, taken from water-colour of T. Hosmer Shepherd
in British Museum, Crace Collection (photograph).
(fn. 6) General view of centre-block before demolition (photograph).
(fn. 6) Elevations and section through No. 10 (measured drawing).
(fn. 6) Ground plan (measured drawing).