Entrance Block to Thorner's Homes, Memorial Stone and Perimeter Railings with Two Pairs of Southampton, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

983/0/10077 REGENT'S PARK ROAD 20-DEC-10 Entrance block to Thorner's Homes, mem orial stone and perimeter railings wit h two pairs of gatepiers (to Regent's Park Road and Clifton Road)

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Also Known As: Entrance block to Thorner's Homes, memorial stone and perimeter railings with tw o pairs of gatepiers (to Regent's Park Road and Clifton Road), CLIFTON ROAD Main entrance building with clocktower to a development of almshouses for Thorner's charity. 1932 by Maurice Everett Webb (1880-1939) of Aston Webb & Sons. Grey brick with red brick dressings outlining most features, occasional stone and brick tile dressings, tiled roofs and continuous red brick plinths. Arts and Crafts manner, with Neo-Georgian references (the refined brickwork with red dressings and cornices) and nods to the Neo-Tudor (the steep gables and pitched tiled roofs), both referring to the long tradition of almshouses. The stone memorial was inscribed by Eric Gill.

EXTERIOR: The entrance block, facing Regent's Park Road, comprises a handed pair of two-storey almshouses linked by a tall arch with modillion eaves cornice, foliate keyblock and stone plaque that reads THORNER'S HOMES 1932, all under a continuous tile roof. To each side of the central arch there is a pair of tall gabled ranges linked by balconies. Each gable has a window on each floor at its outer edges, framed with red brick dressings and capped with a slender stone cornice, with a ventilation slit in the gable's apex. Between the gables, to Regents Park Road, there are angled exterior doors on both floors onto a small patio framed by a wide arch at ground floor and a balcony with red brick dressings at second floor. On the rear elevation, the wide balconies in the same position have red brick copings (and modern handrails) and are supported by a pair of unusual columns formed of flat brick tiles and square on plan, but twisted a full 360 degrees so that they form a complete spiral along the height of the column, on a stone base with a stone cornice. The gables on this side are simpler, with tripartite, centrally-placed windows. Also on this side are the recessed exterior staircases that serve the upper flats. In the centre of the roof is a large copper fleche with clock tower and miniature cupola straddling the roof ridge and placed diagonally. The originally timber windows and French doors were replaced in uPVC in 2004 in the original openings with one fixed pane over top-hung opening windows. There is grey brick chimney with red brick dressings in the centre of each wing.

INTERIOR: There are two flats on each floor, either side of the central arch (one was inspected). They are understood to be modestly fitted out originally, as well as having later-C20 alteration, and are therefore not of special interest.

MEMORIAL STONE: Portland stone memorial pier in the central courtyard with a cornice, capped with a stone ball balanced on an open obelisk base. In serif lettering, designed and inscribed by Eric Gill, this records that in 'A.D. 1932 These Homes were built by the Trustees of the Will of Robert Thorner who died 17th July 1690 and who lies buried in Baddesley Churchyard. The will contain'd amongst other philanthropic provisions a direction that the Testators should be mainly devoted to the buildings and maintenance of houses in Southampton for poor Widows. The Trustees of the Will also have Homes in the Polygon and formerly had some on a Site between Above Bar & and the Town Hall which was acquired by the Corporation in 1931'. Other faces are blank or tell more recent history of Thorner's Homes in similar typescript.

RAILINGS and GATEPIERS: The site is bounded by iron railings on a brick plinth with periodic taller sections that have ornate scrolled tops and a trio of urn finials. Three entrances in the railings are framed by grey brick piers with red quoins capped with stone balls.

HISTORY: This site