Old Church School

Cadw's description

Location

Opposite the parish church on the W side of the B5123 in Halkyn.

History

Built by the Grosvenor Estate in 1849 as separate boys and girls schools at a cost of £556, replacing an earlier school that was demolished in 1848. The school was altered in 1898-9 with the design of a new façade and the building of an additional classroom between the 2 original classrooms, that were retained as outer wings. The dates are on the building. The work of 1898-9 was undertaken by Douglas & Minshall, architects of Chester, for the Halkyn Estate of the Duke of Westminster, and the contractor was Alfred Lloyd. The school was sold to the Diocese of St Asaph in 1912 and closed when Ysgol Rhos Helyg in Rhosesmor opened in 1953. The building was converted to commercial use in the 1980s.

Exterior

Tudor Gothic style school of rubble stone with larger quoins and lighter freestone dressings and copings, and slate roofs with ridge vents, projecting boarded eaves and behind coped gables on moulded kneelers to the front elevation. Between the wings are 2 pairs of diagonal brick stacks to the R and 2 single diagonal stacks to the L. The front faces E and comprises a wider central wing flanked by slightly advanced outer wings. In front of the central wing is a lower gabled clock room flanked by porches with lean-to roofs against the central wing. The central wing has a raised lantern towards the rear with small-pane glazing incorporating pivoting lights. The S wing has added skylights. The front elevation has mullioned windows. The central wing has a 4-light window with drip stone and 1899 in raised numerals to the lintel. Below the window the cloak room has two 2-light windows under a single drip stone, and battered angle buttresses to the side walls. The flanking porches have boarded doors in the end walls and small windows in dressed surrounds facing the front. The outer wings have coped gables on moulded kneelers. Each has a 3-light mullioned and transomed window and a stepped moulded drip stone in incorporating tablets recording the building of 1849 and enlargement 1898-9 by the Halkyn Estate. The 3-window side walls of the N and S wings have small-pane glazing beneath stone lintels.

At the rear the outer wings have replaced windows, of which the S wing has 'boys 1849' engraved in the lintel, the N wing 'girls 1849'. The slightly recessed central wing has 3 segmental-headed small-pane windows and small brick lean-to porches R and L with boarded doors under segmental heads in the side walls.

Interior

The porch and clock room are brick faced with glazed brick wainscot. The rear lean-tos, incorporating wash basins, also incorporate glazed brick walls. The main classrooms have boarded wainscots. The roof trusses are partly concealed, but comprise tie beams with supported by struts of low pitch. In the central wing one exposed truss has a king post and curved struts.

Reason for designation

Listed for architectural interest as a well-detailed late C19 remodelling of an earlier school in the Gothic style favoured for privately-funded schools, and for its contribution to the historic character of Halkyn.