The Old School House

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from main road through village approximately 300m ENE of parish church.

History

Built c1837 by Sir John Nicholl of the Merthyr Mawr Estate. The building originally comprised a school with schoolmaster's house. After the closure of the school the building became 2 dwellings, but is now a single dwelling.

Exterior

One-and-a-half-storeys, consisting of a main house with a gabled wing housing the school room forward on the R. Of rubble stone, the original openings in moulded surrounds, and with hood moulds to the windows, with thatch roof and stack at junction of main house and wing, and to L of house. To the front is an added outshut porch in the angle of main house and wing, L of which is window inserted into an original opening, while the wing has an attic casement inserted in an original opening to the gable end. The L gable end of the house has a stepped external stack, L of which is an attached garden wall. Behind, the main house has an added conservatory and two 3-light mullioned and transomed attic windows beneath eyebrows. There is a further attic casement inserted in an original opening to L above the school room. The side wall of the schoolroom has an inserted door and window.

Interior

Inside the porch is a Tudor-headed doorway to the house, and a former Tudor-headed doorway to the schoolroom, visible only from inside the schoolroom, which retains a Tudor headed fireplace. In the house is a turning wooden stair leading to all upstairs rooms, including 2 rooms over the school room.

Reason for designation

A C19 rural estate school retaining early character and detail, and for group value with other associated listed items in Merthyr Mawr and the Merthyr Mawr Estate.