Former National School

Cadw's description

Location

At the east entrance to the village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, on the south-west side of the B4580.

History

A National school built in 1858, on a site which was shown as common land in the Tithe map of 1842. The school is mentioned in a directory of 1874, when William Evans was the master. Now a village hall.

Exterior

A symmetrical building in early Victorian Tudor style in local brown shaley masonry with sandstone door and window dressings. Slate roof; tile ridge. There is a large central gable to the front with smaller flanking porch gables; chimney shaft set back over the main gable and a smaller truncated shaft (former bell turret?) over the apex.

In the main front gable is a stone mullion and transom window of stepped form, with four latticed lights but with only two lights above the transom. Gothic-arch moulding above. Plain boarded doors in Tudor arches in the front flanking gables. Above the doors the words 'girls' and 'boys' and above the central window the date 1858, each in roundels. Single-light latticed flanking windows. Each end elevation has a mullion and transom window similar to the central window at front, but with a roundel ventilator in the gable apex above.

At rear: three mullion and transom timber windows and a walled up rear doorway with a timber overlight. Modern rooflight.

Reason for designation

A good example of a mid-C19 school building, in the simplified Tudor style of educational buildings, which notwithstanding change of use has retained its character.