94 OI.D HOUSES OF DERBY. 



Glossary a wood-cut of one of the hip-knobs, which seems to 

 be of the time of James I. 



The almhouses for clergymen's widows, called Large's 

 Hospital, were instituted in 1716. They are also an interest- 

 ing example of a style of building now fast passing away. 

 There is a substantial, well-to-do air about them, and, like an oft- 

 seen and familiar old friend, we should grieve their loss. Time, 

 however, spares not old friends ; neither does the march of pro- 

 gress, or expediency, spare old houses, even though time deal 

 gently by them. 



At the corner of Amen Alley (Plate VII.), there is a very pic- 

 turesque old house, and another in S. Peters Street (Plate VII.). 

 This latter has been a very good example of a half-timber house 

 but it has been so altered from time to time that little of the 

 original character remains. Still, from some portions of the lower 

 part, a very good idea of what it has formerly been may be 

 obtained. There has evidently been a good deal of carved wood- 

 work about it ; some carved posts of a good character still remain 

 on the side nearest the churchyard. The carved support at the 

 corner is still in good preservation, and is now a very uncommon 

 example; it is well designed. 



Mr. J. Charles Cox tells us that he has reason to believe 

 that this dwelling was the chantry-house of the priest who sang 

 at the altar of Our Lady in the adjacent church of S. Peter ; 

 the chantry-house of the priest of S. Nicholas, in the same 

 church, was situated in Bag Lane. 



The house in Amen Alley has a similar corner-post, but it 

 is quite plain. The little that remains of the original work 

 of these two houses may safely be assigned to the first half of 

 the 15th century. On the plaster of the Amen Alley house 

 are slight remains of diapering. At Little Chester there is a 

 cottage also having diapered plaster work upon it. The date is 

 probably the same. 



The best half-timber house is one behind Mr. Gadsby's 

 residence in Tenant Street. It is a very excellent specimen 

 of that kind of building, and was probably built in the 

 reign of Queen Elizabeth. This house is but little known to 



