Block between the Library and the Almshouses including the William Jones Room, Monmouth Boys School

Cadw's description

Location

In a group in between the town centre and the River Wye.

History

1895-6, designed by Henry Stock, architect to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. The building replaced a house which was a part of the 1864-5 school designed by William Snooke. Externally it appears unaltered.

Exterior

Built of coursed rock faced red sandstone rubble with Forest of Dean stone dressings and Welsh slate roofs. Jacobean style to match in with the Almshouses (qv) to which it is joined as well as the existing school buildings which are separate but very close. Two storeys on the Almshouse Street elevation, but partly single storey to the inner quadrangle.
The street elevation has six bays separated by buttresses with offsets, stepped gables to bays 1, 3 and 5. Bay 1 has a doorway with gabled porch with Tudor arch head, 3-light mullion-and-transom window in gable above. Bays 2, 4 and 6 have 3-light mullion-and-transom windows on the ground floor and plain 3-light ones above. Bays 3 and 5 have 3-light mullion-and-transom windows on both floors.
The elevation to the quadrangle shows a second range behind the street one and this does join to the existing buildings. It is L-shaped in plan with a four bay cloister of Tudor arches with gables with quatrefoil vents and finials above, two further bays at right angles which form the porch to the older building access via a large room with a 4-light mullion-and-transom window and a canted bay, each face with a 3-light mullion-and-transom window, all the top lights with 4-centred heads. Parapet, French pavilion roof with finials above the bay. There is a resited K6 telephone call box standing next to the lefthand end of the cloister.

Interior

The interior is both altered and utilitarian as is usual with schools in use. The interior of the William Jones Room was not seen at resurvey.

Reason for designation

Included as a late Victorian education building and for its additional historic interest as a part of an important town grammar school.