Llandegla School and Former Schoolhouse

Cadw's description

Location

Opposite the church in the centre of the village of Llandegla, on the S side the minor road.

History

Inset into a garden wall at Accre Hall, Llandegla is the dedication stone dated 1791 of the old school. During the C19 the ownership of the Bodidris estate passed to the Williams family of Bodelwyddan Castle, who became local benefactors. In 1874 Sir Hugh Williams paid for the new school and schoolhouse at Llandegla. The architect was almost certainly John Gibson, who had probably previously designed the church at Llandegla, and also the school and the famous estate church at Bodelwyddan.

Exterior

Quasi-vernacular style C19 school and attached schoolhouse, forming T-plan range. Rubble stone with slate roof and stone stacks. School faces N towards road. Gable front has bellcote with raking offsets and four-centred arched bell opening (bell removed); stone gable coping with kneelers. Upper gable wall clock: circular moulded stone surround with inset painted dial. Wall below has small bell canopy (bell removed): gabled slate roof, arched wooden supports spring from shaped corbels. To left of gable-end, lean-to forms entrance lobby to school; boarded door. The W side has two tall 3-light window openings: big middle window flanked by narrower windows each side; splayed stone mullions with C20 glazing. Boarded door to left with rectangular stone lintel. Rear gable has centre brick stack flanked by vertical window openings either side (C20 glazing). Single-storey C20 addition to rear.

School house to left has big centre stack; square base with oversailing course and star-shaped flue shafts with moulded caps. Similar stack far right shared with schoolroom. One and a half storeys, double fronted. Horizontally sliding sash windows on both floors: one fixed 4-pane light and one 4-pane moving light. Deep stone lintels and shallow stone sills. Gabled dormers spring below eaves. Boarded door with rectangular overlight; original gabled canopy now removed. Rear has three gabled dormers with C20 glazing and glazed lean-to porch.

Interior

School has pointed-arch entry with studded door. Central boarded partition with wide 24-pane upper window divides interior into two clasrooms. Side walls boarded to dado level. E wall has former fireplace opening, now blocked. Modern ceiling inserted at wall-plate level, original room open to the roof, with arch-braced collar trusses springing from stone corbels (partly visible).

Reason for designation

A well-designed estate school and schoolhouse which, together with Llandegla church, form attractive group exemplifying the important role played by landed estates as architectural patrons in Wales during the C19.