Tollemache Almshouses
Encyclopedia
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s in Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. They are in two blocks of three cottages each, located on the north side of Welsh Row at numbers 118–128 (at ). The present buildings, which are listed at grade II, were erected in 1870 by John Tollemache
John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache
John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache , was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire.-Personal life and career:...
(later created first Baron Tollemache
Baron Tollemache
Baron Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall near Ipswich in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for John Tollemache, who had earlier represented Cheshire South and Cheshire West in the House of Commons as a Conservative...
) to replace adjacent almshouses
Wilbraham's Almshouses, Nantwich
The Wilbraham's Almshouses, also known as the Wilbraham Almshouses, are six former almshouses in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located on the north side of Welsh Row at numbers 112–116 . Founded by Sir Roger Wilbraham in 1613, they were the town's earliest almshouses. They remained in use as...
founded by Sir Roger Wilbraham
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
in 1613. The almshouses were modernised in 1980 and remain in residential use. The Hospital of St Lawrence
Hospital of St Lawrence, Acton
The Hospital of St Lawrence, variously known as St Lawrence's Hospital, the Hospice of St Lawrence and the free Chapel and Hospice of St Lawrence and St James, was a medieval house for lepers outside the town of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It was located to the west of the town, on what is now...
, a medieval house for lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
, was possibly on or near the site of the present almshouses.
Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
considers Welsh Row "the best street of Nantwich". The street has many listed buildings and is known for its mixture of architectural styles, including timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
black-and-white cottages such as the Wilbraham's and Widows' Almshouses
Widows' Almshouses, Nantwich
The Widows' Almshouses, also known as the Wilbraham or Wilbraham's Almshouses and as the Widows' Hospital, are former almshouses for six widows in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. They are located at numbers 26–30 on the north side of Welsh Row, on the junction with Second Wood Street...
, Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
town houses such as Townwell House
Townwell House, Nantwich
Townwell House is an Early Georgian town house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located at number 52 on the north side of Welsh Row . It dates from 1740, and is listed at grade II*; in the listing, English Heritage describes the building as "important" and highlights its "good central...
and number 83
83 Welsh Row, Nantwich
83 Welsh Row is a Georgian town house in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, dating from the late 18th century, located on the south side of Welsh Row . It is currently used as offices...
, and Victorian buildings such as the former Grammar School, Primitive Methodist Chapel
Primitive Methodist Chapel, Nantwich
The Primitive Methodist Chapel is a former Primitive Methodist church on Welsh Row in Nantwich, Cheshire, England . Built in 1840, it is listed at grade II. The chapel closed in 2001, and the building has been partially converted to residential use....
and Savings Bank
39 Welsh Row, Nantwich
39 Welsh Row is a Victorian former savings bank, in Jacobean Revival style, in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It stands on the south side of Welsh Row at the junction with St Anne's Lane . Dating from 1846, it is listed at grade II. Nikolaus Pevsner describes number 39 as "the first noteworthy...
.
Hospital of St Lawrence
The Tollemache Almshouses might be located on or near the site of the Hospital of St Lawrence, a medieval house for lepersLeprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
whose date of foundation is unknown; it became a hospital for the infirm poor in around 1348. The hospital is known to have been situated well outside the medieval town of Nantwich within the parish of Acton
Acton, Cheshire
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of...
, by the western entrance to the town on what is now Welsh Row. Although associated with an area adjacent to the old almshouses by Joseph Partridge, author of the first history of Nantwich, there is little or no direct evidence as to its precise location.
Wilbraham's Almshouses
In 1613, Sir Roger Wilbraham
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
of Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
founded almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s for six poor men at what was then the end of Welsh Row (later The Maltkilns at numbers 112–116); they were the town's earliest almshouses. Wilbraham's Almshouses were maintained by the Wilbraham family until 1692, when responsibility for them passed into the Tollemache family because of the earlier marriage of Grace Wilbraham, the Wilbraham heiress, to Lionel Tollemache
Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart
Lionel Tollemache, 3rd Earl of Dysart , styled Lord Huntingtower from 1651 to 1698, was a British Tory Member of Parliament and nobleman....
, the third Earl of Dysart
Earl of Dysart
Earl of Dysart is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1643 for William Murray, who had earlier represented Fowey and East Looe in the English House of Commons. He was made Lord Huntingtower at the same time, also in the Peerage of Scotland. He was succeeded by his daughter, the...
.
History of present almshouses
The present almshouses were built in 1870 by John TollemacheJohn Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache
John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache , was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire.-Personal life and career:...
, a descendant of Sir Roger Wilbraham, to replace the Wilbraham's Almshouses which stood adjacent. Tollemache, of Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle is a country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building...
and Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall
Helmingham Hall is a moated manor house in Helmingham, Suffolk, England. It was begun by John Tollemache in 1480 and has been owned by the Tollemache family ever since. The house is built around a courtyard in typical late medieval/Tudor style....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, served successively as the Member of Parliament for South
South Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Cheshire was a United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the division of Cheshire in 1832. In 1868, it was abolished with North Cheshire to form parts of East Cheshire, Mid Cheshire, and West Cheshire.-Members of Parliament:...
and West Cheshire
West Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cheshire is a former parliamentary constituency, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
, and was created the first Baron Tollemache
Baron Tollemache
Baron Tollemache, of Helmingham Hall near Ipswich in the County of Suffolk, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1876 for John Tollemache, who had earlier represented Cheshire South and Cheshire West in the House of Commons as a Conservative...
in 1876. He was the largest landowner in Cheshire; in addition to the almshouses, he built more than fifty farmhouses and many cottages, and also donated the land for the Nantwich Market Hall.
The Tollemache Almshouses stand immediately adjacent to the Wilbraham's Almshouses, and were built on their gardens, at what was then the end of Welsh Row. Like the earlier almshouses, they accommodated six men; four were from Nantwich and two from the neighbouring village of Acton
Acton, Cheshire
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of...
. In the 1880s, the inhabitants were old married men; their widows were allowed to remain provided that they "conduct themselves properly." Historian James Hall describes the almshouses at that time as "comfortable dwellings of two stories, with their gardens in front" which were "an ornament to the west end of the town". In 1892, the total annual endowment of the original charity was £12. The almsmen each received 10 shillings quarterly, a pair of shoes annually and £1 4s 6d every two years for other clothing from the Tollemache family. Additionally, increases in the original endowment by bequests from Peter Sprout and from Elizabeth and Mary Bennion, respectively, resulted in an extra £2 per head plus a share of £21 10s annually. According to a scheme dated 23 June 1870, the single trustee of the Wilbraham Almshouse Charity was John Tollemache, who selected the almsmen; the Tollemache family continued to maintain the almshouses until 1978.
In 1975, the almshouses were self-supporting, with a total annual income from maintenance contributions of just over £700, in addition to £18.30 from the Tollemache estate at Peckforton
Peckforton
Peckforton is a scattered settlement and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The settlement is located to the north east of Malpas and miles to the west of Nantwich. The total population of the civil parish is somewhat over 100...
and £20 from the charity established by the Bennions. (The contribution from the Peter Sprout charity had ceased before 1939.) On 21 March 1978, a few years after the death of Major John Tollemache, fourth Baron Tollemache, the administration of the Wilbraham Almshouse Charity passed to the trustees of the Almshouse Charities of Sir Edmund Wright, Crewe and Others, which maintained the Wright's
Wright's Almshouses, Nantwich
Wright's Almshouses is a terrace of six former almshouses now located on Beam Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The building was originally erected at the junction of Hospital Street and London Road in 1638 by Edmund Wright , Lord Mayor of London in 1640–41, and is listed at grade II*...
, Crewe
Crewe Almshouses, Nantwich
Crewe Almshouses or Crewe's Almshouses is a terrace of seven former almshouses at the end of Beam Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The present building was erected in 1767 by John Crewe, later first Baron Crewe, and is listed at grade II. It has a central projecting section topped by a...
and Harriet Hope Almshouses, although the charities remained separate. The almshouses were renovated and modernised starting 3 June 1980, at a total cost of up to £71,500. They were formally reopened on 24 November 1980 by Dinah, Lady Tollemache, widow of Major Tollemache.
Description
The almshouses are in two identical blocks set well back from the street behind a walled front garden. Each block comprises three red-brick cottages of a single storey plus attics under a tiled roof, with two slightly projecting gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d end wings. The gables have sham timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
and slender finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. There are similar finials to the ends of the roof and two prominent clustered chimney stacks.
Each block has three unornamented doorways with arched heads. Above the central doorway is a cast-iron plaque bearing the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the Tollemache family and the date 1870. The ground floor has four casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s, one of two lights and three of three lights; there are four two-light casements to the attic floor, two of which are gabled dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s. All the windows are latticed
Latticework
Latticework is a framework consisting of a criss-crossed pattern of strips of building material, typically wood or metal. The design is created by crossing the strips to form a network...
in iron with a diamond pattern and have arched heads.
Modern usage
The Tollemache Almshouses remain in residential use. They are run as a housing association, administered jointly with the Wright'sWright's Almshouses, Nantwich
Wright's Almshouses is a terrace of six former almshouses now located on Beam Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The building was originally erected at the junction of Hospital Street and London Road in 1638 by Edmund Wright , Lord Mayor of London in 1640–41, and is listed at grade II*...
, Crewe
Crewe Almshouses, Nantwich
Crewe Almshouses or Crewe's Almshouses is a terrace of seven former almshouses at the end of Beam Street in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The present building was erected in 1767 by John Crewe, later first Baron Crewe, and is listed at grade II. It has a central projecting section topped by a...
and Harriet Hope Almshouses by the Almshouse Charities of Sir Edmund Wright, Crewe and Others.
Sources
- Bavington G et al. Nantwich, Worleston & Wybunbury: A Portrait in Old Picture Postcards (Brampton Publications; 1987) (ISBN 0 9511469 6 3)
- Blacklay F. Almshouses of Nantwich (A4 Media Services; 1995)
- Garton E. Nantwich, Saxon to Puritan: A History of the Hundred of Nantwich, c 1050 to c 1642 (Johnson & Son Nantwich; 1972) (ISBN 0950273805)
- Garton E. Tudor Nantwich: A Study of Life in Nantwich in the Sixteenth Century (Cheshire County Council Libraries and Museums; 1983) (ISBN 0 903017 05 9)
- Hall J. A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, or Wich Malbank, in the County Palatine of Chester (2nd edn) (E. J. Morten; 1972) (ISBN 0-901598-24-0)
- Lamberton A, Gray R. Lost Houses in Nantwich (Landmark Publishing; 2005) (ISBN 1 84306 202 X)
- Pevsner N, Hubbard E. The Buildings of England: Cheshire (Penguin Books; 1971) (ISBN 0 14 071042 6)
- Simpson R. Crewe and Nantwich: A Pictorial History (Phillimore; 1991) (ISBN 0 85033 724 0)