Description

WEYMOUTH

SY6778SW WYKE ROAD
873-1/26/412 (North side)
14/06/74 Portwey Hospital
(Formerly Listed as:
WYKE ROAD
Portway Hospital)

II

Workhouse, later hospital, unused at time of survey and
scheduled for re-use as housing. 1836. Built by two of the
guardians, Thomas Dodson and Thomas Hill Harvey. Portland
stone dressed block, rubble, sone brickwork, slate roofs.
PLAN: an extended H-plan, with the long arms parallel with
Wyke Road, and the central cross axis extended beyond the rear
range, and set across the fall in the site to generate an
extra storey. At the right hand end (E) a further larger
range, of later date, extends the rear range of the H.
EXTERIOR: The front range has a 3-storey centre unit in 5
bays, flanked by 2 storeys in 5 bays to the left, and 8 bays
to the right, all in one plane. Windows are generally 4-pane
sashes with flush boxes to slightly cambered heads to flat
extrados, with keystones. To each side of the central gabled
porch on square pilasters, over a pair of flush panelled
doors, is a wider 16-pane sash. Plinth to square offset; this
drops at the right-hand end to contain an extra storey. A deep
plain sill band runs the entire width at first floor, and a
smaller band below the sills at second floor. Near the right
end is a part-glazed door under a deep transom light, on 7
steps. The parapets are set above a plain band and deep
fascia, which also has paired dentils to the centre unit. The
central roof is hipped, with gabled ranges in 2 bays each
side, continued to the outer ends as hips. There are no stacks
visible.
The returns and backs are in rubble with dressed quoins; the
front range reduces in depth to the outer bays. The spine
range has very small 2-light casements, and a hipped outer end
which abuts a 'crossing' tower, raised approx 1m in brickwork.
The attached wings in the rear ranges have various sashes and
casements, to hipped eaves roofs.
The long extra range to the right is in 2 and 3 storeys, with
mainly 12-pane sashes, but also some loading doors, and 2
windows, near centre, dropped to staircase landings.
A projecting 2-storey portico or porte cochere at the junction
between the new and old sections; near the outer end is a
further small, but full-height, service tower.

At the back this range has a central service tower, on a wide
arched opening to a passage under the building. 2 storeys,
with many 12-pane sashes, and with a 2-storey brick addition
to the W of the service tower.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
The whole building is somewhat austere, but retains externally
much of the early fabric and detail; to the street it has a
simple dignity, enhanced by the economical use of Portland
stone. It holds a splendid site with extensive views to the N.

Listing NGR: SY6744978481

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Portwey Hospital at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q26440981

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments