Old School House (also known as Yr Hen Ysgol)

Cadw's description

Location

Near Llangorse lake and adjacent to the church of St Gastyn.

History

Built by J L Pearson c 1850. He became acquainted with Robert Raikes in Hull. At Oxford Raikes became a convinced Tractarian and bought the Treberfydd Estate, and their collaboration led to Pearson's first major commission, the rebuildings of the mansion and the church. This was preceded by the building of a school room next to the church for the children of the estate. The original single storey schoolroom left was later extended with a parallel wing and schoolmaster's house by Pearson in 1890s, evidence of his long connection with the family. The building was further extended and converted to domestic accommodation C20.

Exterior

Schoolroom and schoolmaster's house in Gothic Revival style. Plan of single storey schoolroom and parallel extension to left and 2 storey house right, 3 bays in depths, separated by cross passage. Built of coursed stone rubble with pale ashlar dressings and plain tile roof with decorative terracotta ridge tiles, ashlar coping and kneelers and decorative finials to gables; tall stacks with offsets, cornice band and yellow pots, most astride ridge, one external front left. All windows are trefoil headed lights in an ashlar surround divided by mullions, most in multiples, a few single; glazing is diamond quarries in metal casements. Schoolmaster's house has steeply and asymmetrically gabled cross gable with windows on 2 storeys, 2 light to first floor and 3 to ground. Single storey schoolroom wing to left has overhanging eaves, 4-light window range plus one single and wide external stack with asymmetrical offsets adjacent to steep pitched gabled porch with pointed arched entrance doorway; these features represent the original school entrance and fireplace. Attached to left is a stretch of wall with saddleback coping, and decorative cresting above a pointed arched doorway to garden; further garden doorway in wall to right. Garden elevation to rear has similar windows and 5 asymmetrical cross gables: a low pair to right to schoolroom extension, higher to left to hall, with Tudor-arched entrance doorway below, and breaking forward to left a double bay, the bedroom accommodation for the house. House frontage has 3 cross bays, narrow to centre and close to a tall wide stack. Front is bordered by coursed rubble and dressed stone wall with saddle back coping and 2 pairs of hipped gate piers and iron gates with spear railings.

Interior

Interior retains original plan and fireplaces, staircase, white walls and dark stained wood; the former schoolroom is now converted to a living room. Thus the core unit remains mostly unaltered with later extensions.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II* for its importance as an early building by Pearson and an integral part of the especially interesting 1850s development of the Treberfydd Estate.

Group value with Church of St Gastyn and Lychgate.