The School House

Cadw's description

Location

Located on N side of the road leading SW from parish church and approximately 70m from the church. The house is set back from the road, with the school immediately to the E.

History

The School House and school were built in 1871. Constructed in unreinforced concrete by Henry Hanbury-Tracy as part of the Gregynog Estate. Hanbury-Tracy's use of the material on the Gregynog Estate was intended to demonstrate the benefits of building in concrete. It was said that concrete reduced the cost of a house by nearly a half compared to brick or stone. The concrete was made from river gravel and brick fragments bonded with cement. It was laid in wet courses directly onto the wall using timber shuttering, and finished with a skim coat of render. Concrete was also used for mullions and chimneys and is said to have been used for floor and roof slabs, partition walls, fireplace and stair construction. Originally the building had a roof of concrete slabs, although these were subsequently covered by slates.

Exterior

One and a half storey house of unreinforced concrete with Gothic detail and slate roof. 3-window front in scribed render with cross-gable to L, dormers to centre and R. Coped gables with pendant finials and moulded eaves bands. 3-light round headed windows in lower storey flanking central gabled porch with pointed arch and crocket finial. In the upper storey are similar 2-light windows. Tall stack with paired octagonal flues offset to R with a modern stack to L; crested ridge tiles. The side walls have 2-light windows similar to the front. At the rear is a single-storey projection to L and 2-storey wing to R (with a lean-to added between), which have similar windows to front.

Interior

Not accessible at the time of inspection (July-August 1996).

Reason for designation

Listed for its exceptional construction technique pioneering the use of unreinforced concrete for domestic architecture, and for group value with Tregynon School and its Boundary Wall. The house also makes an important contribution to the surviving group of concrete buildings in Tregynon.