Memorial House

Cadw's description

Location

Adjoining Church House (Old Grammar School) at right-angles, and to the S. The entrance faces E.

History

Adjoining the former Grammar School at right-angles, and built in 1742 as dormitories and headmaster's house. Projections and rear wings probably late C19.

Exterior

Symmetrical 5-window 3-storey range with central entrance. Constructed of red brick under a slate roof with brick end stacks, that to L set back behind ridge; moulded wooden eaves cornice, raised stone copings to S gable end. The windows to ground and 1st floor are 12-pane hornless sashes under flat-arched heads of gauged brickwork, only those to lower R and upper L original. Windows to 2nd floor are 3-over-6-pane sashes immediately under the eaves. Entrance contains double panelled doors, the panels fielded, under a plain overlight. Leaded swept porch canopy supported on decorative brackets.
Two blocks adjoining S gable end: to R, a narrow 2-storey block under a hipped roof, with plain-glazed sashes. Lower hipped-roofed block to L, above which is a small segmental-headed window. Rear has irregular fenestration, including 4-pane and small-pane sashes and C20 wooden windows, mainly with segmental brick heads. Shallow brick lean-to to ground floor. To R, a narrow full-height hipped-roofed projection with late C20 brick porch, above which is a 4-pane sash with sandstone lintel. Converted single-storey range at right-angles to far L, probably a former outbuilding; its E gable end is of rubble stone with moulded kneelers and raised stone copings, with a small brick stack. Adjoining N gable end of main range, a 2-storey wing with hipped roof, projecting beyond Church House and partly built over an earlier stone boundary wall. It has 3 x 4-pane sashes with sandstone lintels to upper storey, and a 3-light wooden casement under a segmental brick head to L of ground floor; N end has tripartite sash to ground and small 4-pane sash to upper storey; R-hand return has boarded door and a narrow C20 light above.

Interior

The interior was recorded by RCAHMW in 1996 before it was converted to apartments. It has classical-style detail, including panelled doors, moulded architraves, beamed ceilings, and a fireplace with eared and fluted surrounds; other fireplaces are C19. Original C18 staircase with columnar balusters, square newels conjoined with caps, and moulded handrails; upper flight has been altered; window seats in front of stair-lights. Good range of cellars beneath, one with a deeply-chamfered ceiling beam, probably re-used from elsewhere, another with a half-vault.

Reason for designation

Listed as an unusual building type retaining early-Georgian character and detail, and for group value with the adjoining Church House. The building makes a valuable contribution to the historic landscape of this fine parochial close.