Christ's Hospital

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the Eastern boundary of St Peter's churchyard, the front facing W towards the church.

History

Christ's Hospital was founded in 1590 by Dr Gabriel Goodman, Dean of Westminster, a native of Ruthin. It was built on the site of former collegiate buildings and was intended as an almshouse for 12 poor people, the warden being the incumbent of the church. The almshouse was rebuilt in 1865, and is shown in its current form on the Ordnance Survey of 1874. The building was restored in 1999 along with additions to the rear.

Exterior

Single-storey range forming 3 sides of a courtyard, with main range to E and shorter ranges to S and N. Constructed of snecked pecked grey stone with pronounced red sandstone dressings producing a polychrome effect; steeply-pitched slate roof; stone ridge stacks and external stacks to gable ends with offsets. Openings have rusticated sandstone surrounds: 2-light windows with chamfered stone mullions containing wooden small-pane casement windows; continuous impost band; renewed boarded doors, double to E range and single to S and N ranges, all under lean-to slated porch canopies on curved wooden brackets. Each cottage is 1-window. The S range contains 2 cottages, each with door to L and window to R; N range is a mirror image. The E range has 3 doorways flanked by windows, each pair of double doors leading into 2 cottages. The W gable ends have tall single lights flanking the external stacks, each with a pointed-arched sandstone head bearing an incised decorated roundel. To rear, a continuous line of gabled rear wings, with hipped roofs or half-timbered gables, added in the late C20 and with wooden doors and windows.

Interior

Interior not inspected.

Reason for designation

Listed as almshouses retaining their C19 character and detail, the plan which relates to earlier collegiate buildings, of additional historic interest. Group value with the Church of St Peter and surrounding structures.