Archive for a historic building survey undertaken prior to the demolition of Ralph Bennett House as part of development works on the site of the former Holmeleigh Children's Home in Horncastle. Ralph Bennett house was one of five 'cottage homes' built for Holmeleigh Children's Home, which opened in 1934 and closed in 1968 (see MLI127032). Built in a single phase of construction, it was a two structure of dark red brick, under a pitched hipped slate roof. The front (south) elevation is Georgian in style with two projecting two-storey porches, with the upper storey used internally as a landing. The porches were decorated with voussoired brick arches with tiles at the springing points. There are two string courses running the length of the elevation, one above the ground floor windows and one below the first floor windows. All of the windows were, at time of demolition, original 6 over 6 sash windows. To the rear are two single storey outshuts, originally used as bathrooms. Internally, the building was mirrored along its central axis to create two semi-detached units. Each had the same layout: a porch and hall with stairs, a kitchen and store room, the toilet outshuts, and a large communal room on the ground floor. Above were utility rooms and linen cupboards, upstairs toilets, bathrooms, and large shared dormitories. Although they had undergone some alteration, many original fixtures and fittings remained at time of demolition, including skirting boards and picture rails, and the bannisters on the stairs.