Provision for the sick: Wynard’s almshouses

The view shows the frontage of Wynard’s almshouses as they appeared after late Victorian restoration. The almshouses had been set up in 1435 on Magdalen Street outside the city wall by My Wynard and consisted of four ranges of rooms arranged around a central courtyard. The frontage consists of the tall chapel to the right with its belfry, with the entrance to its left, probably where the Warden was accommodated. Around the courtyard behind the façade were the cells of each aged and infirm person. The drawing forms part of a group attributable to Edward Ashworth, the local architect who was responsible for the restoration of the building in 1863-4. The chapel is associated with the Kennaway family, some of whom are commemorated within it.

Acknowledgments: Exeter City Museums