Ysgol Lawnt

Cadw's description

Location

Situated near the bottom of the sloping road leading from the High Street to Rhymney River and Railway.

History

Early-mid C19. The Lawn was a large wooded enclosure of about 20 acres containing 3 large houses built for the Rhymney Iron Company, consolidated 1837; one traditionally used by the Directors, one by the Manager and one by the Surgeon. This building was converted in 1924 to a school and was one of the first in the country to provide a joint grammar/secondary education, a pioneer of the later comprehensive system. A reproduction of a C19 painting is displayed inside, an Industrial Scene by Penry Williams, which is identifiable as the view from The Lawn over the Rhymney Ironworks showing the Egyptian Furnaces. Underneath The Lawn runs Hubbuch's Tunnel. Hubbuch, a manager of the Rhymney Iron Company, built the tunnel on the route of the tramway from Ras Bryn Oer to Middle Furnace: the track ran from the drift mines at The Ras, along the back of The Terrace, through this tunnel under Surgery Hill, with S portal still visible just outside The Lawn boundary, terminating at Middle Furnace behind Forge Street.

Exterior

Large detached house in Regency style, converted to a school. Wholly rendered with traces of scoring; hipped Welsh slate roof of shallow pitch with terracotta ridge tiles and deep overhanging boarded bracketed eaves; chimneys removed. Plan of rectangular central block with stepped back narrower cross rear wing on uphill side; separately roofed narrow wing parallel with frontage on downhill side with further extensions here and to rear which also incorporate former outbuildings. Former garden frontage has a 3-window range, formerly 12-pane sashes to first floor, one at centre retained. Ground floor formerly probably had tripartite sash windows like others at The Lawn, now replaced; central flat-roofed corniced porch with blind recesses with sills either side of doorway; small-pane fixed glazing to side walls of porch, probably mostly original on downhill side. Uphill side elevation retains tripartite windows to main block and 4-window range of mostly 12-pane sashes to rear wing; first floor 12-pane sash windows also retained on downhill side elevation.

Interior

Although converted to a school, the interior retains its plan of a central corridor with rooms leading off and to rear a staircase which has turned newel posts, stick balusters and a ramped handrail. Some rooms retain plaster cornice mouldings, moulded plaster panels and brackets, 6-panelled doors with architraves, panelled reveals, shutters.

Reason for designation

Listed notwithstanding alterations as one of a group of 3 important residential buildings associated with the Rhymney Iron Company.