Spittal School And Surrounding Walls And Railings

Spittal School is a primary school built in 1908, with minor additions made in the late 20th century. It is constructed of coursed dressed stone, with long frontages facing both Main Street and the church of St John. The front elevation features a gable at each end, with two smaller shaped gables in between. The left-hand entrance, now partly blocked, has protruding stone jambs and a stone entablature engraved with the word "INFANTS". The top of this entablature is castellated, forming a continuous band around the edges of the gables. The right-hand entrance, currently in use, is similar and has the word "GIRLS" engraved above, alongside a sixteen-pane window. There are three sash windows in each of the outer gables, with a taller, central window featuring six lower panes and eight small panes in the upper part, flanked by shorter windows with four and six panes respectively. Each of the inner gables has a tall, nine and six-paned window, and there are four shorter, two and eight-paned windows in between. All windows are sashes with dressed stone surrounds. The stone dressings of the main windows in the outer gables extend to the top of the wall, and the flanking windows have stone pilasters rising to create a castellated effect on the gable ends. A wing extending to the right has a similar arrangement of gables and windows, but without an entrance, and all gables are the same size. A shorter gable is present on the left return. The roof is slate with contrasting tile ridges and finials. At the rear, a higher section with a hipped roof incorporates a central bell tower, extending outwards beyond the main rear elevation. The building features tall, square, tapering stone chimneys with oversailing copings, some of which are decorative. Two rectangular, off-white brick extensions were added to the rear in the late 20th century. Distinctive cast iron gutters and drainpipes are present throughout the building. The site is enclosed by decorative wrought iron railings on a low stone wall, with stone pillars at the entrances. The interior features original double doors with brass door furniture leading to a passage with classrooms on the right, all with original doors, internal windows onto the corridor, and wood panelling on the lower walls. Some original notice boards and blackboards remain. Although the ceilings have been lowered, some original ceilings survive. A skylight in the passage is now boarded up. To the left of the offices is a hall with an original parquet floor, tiles on the lower half of the walls (now painted), and a beamed ceiling with decorative corbels. A brass plaque displaying a war memorial is affixed to the wall. Beyond the hall is the former infants’ area, including a cloakroom and two classrooms separated by folding wooden panels, featuring original fittings and boarded-in fireplaces.