St John's Hospice

Cadw's description

Location

Set into slope, half way up the hill; small rubble walled gardens flanking entrance.

History

C15 with later C16/early C17 alterations; 2-storey end basement medieval and sub-medieval structure thought to have been used once as a small hospital; 2-unit plan with chimney backing onto the entry.

Exterior

3-window part-coursed rubble front dominated by lower entrance cross range forward to the street; widened and raised in early C17. Steep slate roofs with red brick chimney stacks; central roof dog legs to right over offset chamfered pointed arch entrance, to the left of which is a vertical joint indicating the addition of the guard room which probably became necessary on foundation of the hospital. Mostly modern cross frame windows with C16/C17 hoodmoulds; later brick lintels under eaves. Rubble right end wall with small windows and blocked doorway; rubble rear with cross range and modern opening within broad segmental arch.

Interior

Interior, reached through passage with 2 tier seats and blocked doorway to guard room, retains substantial original detail including stop chamfered and moulded ceiling beams, dressed stone fireplaces and doorways, and stone flagged floors. Cross-passage with paired round arched stop chamfered openings to right leading to service rooms. Whitewashed rubble hall to left has timber lintel to fireplace and reeded C19 cupboard; also retained are 2 weathered medieval stone carved plaques, formerly on the front, one depicts an eagle. Winding stone staircase with small pointed arch lights leads to 1st floor where main room with similar detailing is over the cross-passage and services; paired round arched stop-chamfered openings in NE wall, similar doorway to front room over entrance; square headed voussoired opening leads to room over hall with open 2-bay roof. Floor levels on NW side altered, lower room to rear.