Building record MWX937 - Rogers' Almshouses, West Street, Poole

Almshouses founded in about 1604 by Robert Rogers, extended in 1852, reconstructed in 1927 and demolished in about 1971. The almshouses were of one storey and attics, with coursed rubble walls, brick chimney stacks and roofs covered with tiles and stone slates. The original building comprised six cottages, but the northernmost was demolished as part of the widening of King Street, probably in the nineteenth century. In 1852, the almshouses were extended wht the construction of a further six houses to the south, and were reconstructed in 1927.

The first documentary evidence for an almshouse in West Street is in a 1574 census. A plaque on the centre of the original Rogers Almshouse building records that Robert Rogers, leather seller and native of Poole founded them in 1604. <1>

The almshouses bear three plaques on the West Street frontage. One records their foundation by Rogers in 1604, a second their reconstruction in 1927 and the third records an extension built in 1852. A vast amount of reconstruction has been carried out on this building. The stone walling is probably original but the whole of the facing is modern. Original doorways are visible, now bricked up. Roof timbering appears to be original. Reconstruction has been well carried out and the character of the buildings has not been lost. There are now five tenements only. See ground photographs. <3>

Roger's Almshouses, of one storey, built of coursed rubble and brick with a tile and slate roof. <4>

Not listed in Housing List, 1980. Area shown blank on OS 1:10 000 1975 - almshouses probably destroyed. <5>

The almshouses were demolished in around 1971 during road widening operations. <6>

<1> Sydenham, J, 1839, The History of the Town and County of Poole, 416 (Monograph). SWX3575.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1937 (Map). SWX1197.

Almshouses (1604) (NAT)

<3> Colquhoun, F D, Field Investigators Comments FDC, F1 FDC 06-DEC-51 (Unpublished document). SWX2609.

The almshouses bear three plaques on the West Street frontage.
One records their foundation by Rogers in 1604, a second their
reconstruction in 1927 and the third records an extension built
in 1852.

A vast amount of reconstruction has been carried out on this
building. The stone walling is probably original but the whole of
the facing is modern.

Original doorways are visible, now bricked up. Roof timbering
appears to be original. Reconstruction has been well carried out
and the character of the buildings has not been lost. There are
now five tenements only.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 235 (Monograph). SDO149.

(295) ROGERS' ALMSHOUSES, of one storey and attics, have walls of coursed rubble, except the N. gable wall and chimney-stacks whicha re of brick, and roofs covered with tiles and stone slates. The almshouses were erected c. 1604; a stone tablet with this date and the black-letter inscription 'Fundatore Roberto Rogers apud Londinenses Pellione Polae nato' is set in the centre of the W. wall of the original building; this last comprised six cottages, of which the northernmost was largely demolished to widen the W. end of King Street, perhaps in the 19th century. In 1852 a further six almshouses were added to the south.; they bear a stone tablet with this date and are of similar general appearance to the foregoing, though the outer doorways on the W. are now removed. A third tablet records the reconstruction of the building in 1927.

The original building has oak-framed doorways with chamfered heads and jambs and two-light oak-framed windows; the doorways were partly blocked in 1927 and the dormer windows have been entirely renewed. The chimneys at the rear rise in pairs above brick gables and have rectangular shafts joined at the top.

<5> Allanson, Christopher David, Field Investigators Comments CDA, R2 CDA 10-NOV-1981 (Verbal communication). SDO17894.

<6> Horsey, I P, ed K Jarvis, 1992, Excavations in Poole 1973-1983, 31 (Monograph). SWX3766.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 458232 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 29 2024 3:38PM