Former Priory Street School with walls and railings

Cadw's description

Location

Situated just E of St John's church, on junction with Penuel Street.

History

Former National School and church of 1869-70 by R K. Penson built to provide a church for the Welsh-speaking community of St Peter's parish as well as an infant and Sunday school for the parish to replace premises on The Parade. The foundation stone was laid on 29th June 1869 by Mrs William Morris and the school opened a year later, called St Peter's School-Church. The contractor was D. M. Williams of Carmarthen. The church was superseded by St John's church next door in 1890. The school closed in 1988 and was converted to offices in 1991 for Lloyds Bank and later used as studios for BBC Wales.

Exterior

Former school, now offices, Gothic style, in coursed rubble stone with Bath stone dressings and slate eaves roofs with bargeboards. Single storey with long main range running E-W, entrance gable projecting to right of centre on N front with small square turret in angle to right. Late C20 added rear wing. Ashlar plinth and quoins. E end has traceried 3-light window with 2 cinquefoils and one quatrefoil. Roundel over. N wall has large windows with chamfered and stopped surrounds and cambered heads, one single and 2 pairs. Late C20 skylight over each. Then the lower gabled porch-wing has plain bargeboard, one window to first floor and a pointed doorway with ledged door offset to right. In angle to right is slender square bell turret with 2 cusped belfry openings each side and steep pyramidal slate roof. Round ashlar chimney on ridge. Windowless wall to right. W end wall has 3 similar cambered-headed long windows with relieving arches over. Rear wall has 2 similar pairs of windows to right and added wing to left.
Front forecourt wall of stone with ashlar chamfered coping and short iron railings with 3 horizontal bars between standards, 2 at top, one at bottom, and diagonal struts. Branched finials to standards. Since 1981 walls have been restored and altered with loss of gates, now 2 L-plan lengths.

Interior

Mostly modernised, schoolroom has fine stained glass window at E end of 1870 with scenes from education of Christ, given by Valentine Davies.

Reason for designation

Included as a mid Victorian school building of architectural quality, unusual for having also been a church. Group value with the church of St John.