IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
George Lane, SN14 8FJ

At the Western end of Marshfield High Street.

A row of 8 almshouses and central chapel, dated "1612" - "1619", for the Crispe family at the entry into Marshfield from the west. Each of the houses originally consisted of one room with a stone spiral staircase in one corner leading to a bedroom above. Earth closets at the top of the back gardens and a well in front of No 5 served the residents until 1939, when water and sewage services were connected. An extension at the rear of the houses in 1977 provided a kitchen and bathroom/toilet downstairs and a modern staircase for each house, plus central heating.

A row of 8 almshouses and central chapel, dated "1612" - "1619", for the Crispe family at the entry into Marshfield from the west. Each of the houses originally consisted of one room with a stone spiral staircase in one corner leading to a bedroom above. Earth closets at the top of the back gardens and a well in front of No 5 served the residents until 1939, when water and sewage services were connected. An extension at the rear of the houses in 1977 provided a kitchen and bathroom/toilet downstairs and a modern staircase for each house, plus central heating.

Seen from the junction with St.Martin's Lane. Formerly the A420 until Marshfield was relieved by its bypass.

The old houses also boast a private chapel, of which the spire rises above the roofline. The Crispe brothers, Nicholas and Ellis, were local men who made their fortunes as merchants in London; they provided these almshouses for the benefit of their fellow villagers. Nicholas was a member of the Skinners' Company and Ellis the Salters' Company - hence the two coats of arms.

Built in the early 1600s and, as often the case, at the end of the village.

The Crispe Almshouses, crests and entrance.

These 2 sets of Crispe armorial bearings are set above the porch on a central wide gable of the Marshfield almshouses. The Crispes were Marshfield men who had become wealthy London merchants. Nicholas was a member of the Skinners' Company and Ellis of the Salters' Company. The coats-of-arms are of these companies.

This corner of a house in Marshfield's High Street has two cutmarks, and at different heights at that! See http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/bm79800 for the entry in the Benchmark Database and Image] for a wider view.

Looking west along the High Street, with the old almshouses in the background. Interestingly, the corner of the house at left of shot has not one but two benchmarks! See Image] for a closer look.