St Mary'S Training College Administration Block And Chapel

St. Mary's Training College administration block and chapel is a significant building located in Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne. Originally constructed as a house in 1748 by D. Garrett for John Ord, the mayor of Newcastle, it features a south tympanum carved by James Guthrie. The north front and wings were added in the early 19th century by Newton, while the east front was modified in the mid-19th century. The building transitioned to a Roman Catholic convent school and college in 1905.

The structure is made of sandstone ashlar, with the north front built in Flemish bond brick and ashlar dressings, complemented by graduated Lakeland slate roofs. The building has an E-plan layout and consists of two storeys. The original garden front has nine bays, highlighted by a 13-bay pedimented projecting centre and set-back outer bays. It features a plinth band and an arcaded ground floor centre with a central niche. Although all windows have been altered, they remain within their original architraves, with the ground floor outer bays showcasing pulvinated friezes and pediments. The top cornice and parapet are notable, as is the Ord arms displayed in the pediment.

The entrance front consists of 11 bays, with the end bays projecting deeply and featuring quoins. The three central bays project forward and are adorned with giant Tuscan engaged columns and a pediment. The central door, accessed by five steps, is flanked by sash windows with glazing bars, all framed in architraves, and features cornices on the ground floor. The east front, designed in a French 18th-century style, has nine bays and a central door beneath an open segmental pediment.

The interior includes a chapel built in 1908, which features an Ionic Order to the chancel and reredos arches, an entablature, and a panelled, low barrel-vaulted ceiling. The original interior was destroyed by fire in 1908. At the time of the survey, the building was about to become empty.