Description

BRISTOL

ST5873SE HORFIELD ROAD
901-1/11/121 (West side)
31/07/86 Bengough's Almshouses and attached
walls, railings, balustrades
(Formerly Listed as:
HORFIELD ROAD
(West side)
Bengough's Almhouses with boundary
wall and steps)

II

Almshouses. Dated 1878. By Foster and Wood. Brick with
limestone dressings, ridge stacks and a hipped double Roman
tiled roof.
5 single-depth plan blocks to 3 sides of a courtyard.
2 storeys and basement; 5:3:7:3:5-window ranges. Jacobethan
style. Full-width central range with short projecting wings
linked to lower side blocks, set to a falling site, with
rusticated quoins, plinth band, ground-floor cornice band and
first-floor sill bands, and a deep coved cornice.
The central range has a pedimented 3-window centre set
forward, with recessed central section to a semicircular arch
within the pediment with a coffered soffit, containing a large
open Jacobean-style porch with attached Ionic columns on
panelled pedestals with strapwork above, pulvinated frieze to
an open segmental pediment with a good painted cartouche, to a
semicircular-arched keyed doorway with double 6-panel doors;
the first-floor window above set between banded strips,
attached Ionic columns to acanthus brackets and a steep
pediment with the centre broken back, inscribed ERECTED 1878/
FOUNDED BY HENRY BENGOUGH 1818, and flanking urns.
The lower wings have inner semicircular-arched doorways with
attached ball finials, and the lower side blocks have central
gabled porches with banded corners, pilasters, to
semicircular-arched doorways as the centre. Moulded cross
windows have pulvinated friezes and cornices to metal
casement, 3-light windows flanking the central porch, with
raised panels between the floors. 1-window ends to the street,
that to the left has an elliptical carriage arch with panelled
jambs.
INTERIOR: entrance hall to a central open dogleg stair with
turned balusters.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached front walls between the 2 ends
have wrought-iron railings with barleysugar stanchions, ball
finials and double wrought-iron gates, to central steps up
dividing to each side beneath a balustrade with square
balusters, ball finials to panelled dies, and railings to the
porches. 'A learned pastiche of an unlearned [artisan Dutch
Renaissance] style' (Gomme). Part of Bristol's fine group of
almshouses.
(Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural
History: Bristol: 1979-: 316; The Builder: London: 386; City
of Bristol: City Engineer's Building Grant Plans: Bristol
Record Office: 1851-: FOL 83).

Listing NGR: ST5851173434

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26503632

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

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)