Building record 0192802000 - CHRIST'S HOSPITAL, MARKET SQUARE

Grade II. Almshouses. Built 1897. Red brick in Flemish bond with some stone dressings, half-hipped slate roof with ornamental ridge tiles, and brick internal stacks. Small tenement block, with attached stair and balcony access to 1st floor. 2-storey, 3-window range. Plank doors with 2 panel mouldings and segmental-arched heads to far left, to left of centre and to right, to ground and 1st floors. Stair to far right has brick side wall to ground floor, York stone steps and open timber-framed 1st floor with round-headed arches between posts. Stair leads to continuous balcony along front of building on timber posts with wrought-iron balustrade. 2-storey bay window to left with tripartite sash window to ground and 1st floors and 2-storey double bay window to centre with similar sashes. Windows have flush York stone sills. Stack nearest centre of building is larger than the other and bears large memorial stone of limestone with shaped pediment inscribed Founded/ AD 1312. Main inscription reads: Refounded by /Queen Elizabeth/AD 1597/ Rebuilt/ in the 60th year/ of the reign of/ Queen Victoria/ AD 1897. The almshouses are believed to have been built on the site of the Hospital of St Lawrence, first mentioned in 1312. Christ's Hospital was founded by Queen Elizabeth I to house '36 maimed soldiers' from the Buckinghamshire area but by the C17 housed '7 ancient women'. At the time of its rebuilding it housed 6 unmarried women. It cost £843 7s 9d. (Sources: Sheahan JJ: The History and Topography of Buckinghamshire: London: 1862-: 240; Harrison JT: Historical Buckingham: Buckingham: 1909-: 34; Victoria County History: Buckinghamshire: London: 1925-: 488) (B8).