Monument Type(s):

• HOUSE (15th century to 17th century - 1400 AD to 1699 AD) + Sci.Date
• PRISON (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)
• PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1901 AD)
• WORKHOUSE (17th century to Early 19th century - 1621 AD to 1837 AD)

Summary

This site represents: a house of post medieval date, a prison of post medieval date, a psychiatric hospital of post medieval date, a workhouse of post medieval date. The site is protected by Grade II* Listing.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events: None recorded

Description

Houses, now includes surgery. Lane's House: early C17, to C16 core. Oldgate House: early C16. Rubble; brick; timber- frame and plaster; plain tile roof. 3-storeys and cellar; 2-window range: leaded light mullion and transom windows, the left with decorated pediment, projecting on enriched consoles from studwork, with chevron bracing; above are 2 gables with leaded light casements, the left having E. G. set in niches beneath. Oak plank door to left, set in restored brick arch; to right is mullion and transom light flanked by smaller mullion lights, all under moulded oak drip course; cellar opening below, under oak lintels. Gable wall to left (now Oldgate House) of rubble, with queen strut truss over, having probable blocked mullioned opening. Immediately under tie beam is blocked stone dressed stone opening; blocked brick arched opening, with single light, at bottom left; traces of other openings. Returned side: rubble 2-storeys and attic; 4-window range of probably C18 casements, two in altered openings; 3 hipped dormers with twin leaded casements. To right, plank door with overlight; to left further casements. Town wall continues to left. INTERIOR of Lane's House: decorative plasterwork ceilings and frieze with Royal Arms (Edward VI); stone fireplace; panelling; exposed framing; C18 dogleg staircase with stick balusters ; C19 staircase. INTERIOR of Oldgate House: stop- chamfered ceiling-frame; C20 staircase, with splat balusters; exposed framing with curved braces. (Ludlow Historical Research Group; Lloyd D: Ludlow: A Historic Town in Words and Pictures: 1984 -: P. 90) <1>

Lane's Asylum shown on Wood map of 1835 <2>

Workhouse and small prison called the House of Correction described in early C19th <3>

Buildings drawn in 1822. The buildings were used as a workhouse from late C17th until 1837, after which the buildings were used as an asylum <4>

CMHTS Comment: Defined as post medieval urban component <5>

CMHTS Report <6>

Included in an article on the history and development of the workhouse in Shropshire. Contains brief history of the site. <11>

Dendrochronological survey was carried out of the Old Gate House (Oldgate House) in 2006. A felling date of Winter 1441/2 was obtained. ->

-> The Old Gatehouse and the adjoining Lane’s House were used as a Workhouse and House of Correction from 1676 until 1837, after which they were known as Lane’s Asylum and used as almshouses; Thomas Lane (d.1676) was one of the town’s benefactors. Some stonework in the Old Gate probably relates to the early twin drum-tower defence system but the bulk of the structure accords well with the dendro date of 1441/2. The roof system is of tie beam and collar construction with large raking queen-struts and large curved windbraces. The house is four-bayed and the two eastern bays were probably open to the roof from first-floor level. ->

-> Dendrochronological survey was also carried out of Lanes House, 56 Old Street, in 2006. A felling date of Winter 1619/20 and Spring 1621 was obtained. ->

-> Lane’s House to the north of the Old Gatehouse and fronting onto Old Street has a stone ground floor with two timber-framed stories above, the top storey carrying two large dormer gables, one of which bears the date 1621. This agrees with the felling date derived from an internal carved bracket, thus identifying the date when the roof was raised and the house re-fronted in a mixture of close-studding, herring-bone work, and large diamond-strutting. The bulk of the framework seems to be of the mid-16th century and the main posts have thickened heads. Samples from these timbers failed to date. There are carved wood Tudor roses on the outside and the main ground-floor room has moulded plaster-work and a coat-of-arms with the initials E.R., this may refer to Elizabeth I or, more likely, to Edward VI. The moulding is repeated on the ceiling in the room above. <12><12a>

The range which is set parallel to St John's Lane is four-bayed and the two eastern bays have an open roof of tie-and-collar-beam construction with clasped purlins, raking queen-struts and large plain curved windbraces. This would have been open from first-floor level. Photographs of street front and interior of C15 range. The main ground-floor room has a plaster frieze and the arms of Elizabeth I (photograph).->

->The house was extensively remodelled in 1621, as the carved date on the S dormer gable indicates. The lozenge-within-lozenge work on the second storey is probably co-eval and is echoed by the herringbone-work on the N dormer gable which was given less lavish treatment than the S one. On the latter, and on the oriel window below it, the decoration includes billet, ovolo, guilloche anhd cable moulding, classical blank arches, leaf decoration and the initials E.G. Both oriel windows have ovolo moulding on the mullions and transoms and the carved brackets incorporate what appears to be Tudor roses. <13>

Outline history related to operation as an almshouse, 1837 to 1960. <14>

Sources

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