Seddon House School at Dingestow Court

Cadw's description

Location

On the N side of the W courtyard at Dingestow Court

History

Built as part of the Stable Court created in 1859-60 by Prichard and Seddon for the Bosanquet family of Dingestow Court.

Exterior

A Tudor-style 1½-storey coach-house with three steeply-pitched dormers, now converted for use as private school. The front is built of coursed pale brown sandstone rubble with freestone dressings, the rear of mixed randow rubble, the roof is covered with blue slates and has ashlar gable copings and an ashlar chimney. Originally probably rectangular in plan, on an E-W axis facing S, it now has two lean-to additions at the rear. The S front, which is symmetrical, has a chamfered plinth (carried round the whole). In the centre is a large Tudor-arched coach doorway with a chamfered surround, now filled with a glazed screen and part-glazed door, and above this a large gabled dormer which contains a transomed Tudor-arched window with Y-tracery in the head. To left and right 2 windows at ground floor and a gabled dormer above and between them form a triangular pattern. All these windows are of 2 lights with chamfered mullions and diamond lattice leaded glazing, but those at ground floor are square-headed and those in the dormers have coupled Tudor-arched lights. On the roof ridge offset left of the central dormer is an elegant octagonal chimney (or ventilator) with an open arcaded upper stage and a moulded cap finished as a ball finial (said to have been imitated from a famous C14 stack at Grosmont Castle). The rear wall now has various modern windows and doors, and 5 skylights.

Interior

Not inspected but probably radically remodelled.

Reason for designation

Included as an accomplished exercise in the application of Vernacular Revival style to a utilitarian building, and for its group value with the former stable block (q.v.) and with Dingestow Court itself.