Ruskin Road School

Ruskin Road School

Secondary school, now comprehensive school, built in 1909 by H Beswick, County Architect. The school was founded at the instigation of Dr W Hodgson and was partly funded by the local railway company. It was intended as a co-educational secondary school. The building has been altered in the early 20th century and with later 20th century alterations and additions.

The school is designed in Georgian Revival style, constructed of red brick with terracotta dressings. The roofs are Welsh slate, with a square-domed octagonal cupola and wind vane, and various coped stacks and air shafts. Windows are mainly original tilting casements with glazing bars. The building is three storeys tall with 24 windows arranged in the pattern 3:3:3:2:2:2:3:3:3, arranged in a T-plan.

The principal elevation features a projecting central entrance bay, defined by pilasters beneath a pediment. The entrance itself has a moulded round arched doorcase with keystone, containing original half-glazed doors, sidelights and a fanlight. Above this is a panelled sham balcony on enriched scroll brackets, with two windows above. A round arched window dated 1909 is positioned on the apron above, flanked by pedimented niches, with a roundel in the pediment. The flanking bays have round arched windows flanked by smaller single lights, and above these are two windows on each floor, with those to the second floor being round headed. Projecting pedimented outer bays contain three flat-headed windows on the lower floors and Diocletian windows above, with roundels in pediments. Recessed flanking bays have three windows on each floor, those to the second floor round headed. The end bays were originally single storey and were raised soon after completion, each having a projecting centre under a pediment with three flat-headed windows on each floor, the central second floor window being mullioned. At the rear are two flat-roofed projections three storeys high, containing service rooms. Two hipped rear wings with round arched stair windows adjoin the front range on each floor, with coped round-arched air shafts. The north wing has large segment-headed second floor windows and roof lights to the art room. The south wing has further fenestration at the west end and a single storey range with a canted bay window to the south. Between the rear wings is a two-storey range with clerestory roof containing the assembly hall. West of this is a lower two-storey hipped range with glazed canopy, formerly the gymnasium.

Interior

Most rooms have glazed brick dado and 20th century suspended ceilings. The corniced entrance hall has half-glazed double doors and screens. Part-glazed side doors with eared architraves and corniced panels above lead to offices in a similar style. The assembly hall is noteworthy, featuring a gallery on three sides carried on cast-iron columns and brackets. It has a segmental-arched queen post roof with clerestory. Round arched windows and doors with fanlights open from the hall. The balcony features an ornate cast iron balustrade. The adjoining gymnasium has a plain queen post roof with glazing largely obscured. The former craft room to the south has a large segment-headed fireplace, now blocked, and the corresponding room to the north has a segment-arched fireplace of domestic scale. The second floor art room has exposed principal rafters with arch braces and tie rods. The laboratories, now combined, have exposed queen post trusses and some original furnishings. At each end of the main range is a lift shaft.