Bluecoat School And Former Chapel Of St John Baptist

Bluecoat School and former Chapel of St John Baptist

Chapel, orphanage and school, now youth centre. Founded in 1700 by Bishop Stratford and built in 1717. The building is constructed of stone-dressed orange brick with a hipped grey slate roof and adopts a U-shaped plan.

The exterior is presented in two storeys with symmetrical elevation. A plinth runs beneath. The central block features a pedimented entrance bay flanked by two bays on each side; the second and fourth bays are recessed. The central bay contains a through passage in a basket-arched painted-stone Tuscan case, which carries a shouldered round-arched niche containing a statue of a Bluecoat boy dating to 1854 by Edward Richardson. On either side of the entrance are basket-arched 19-pane sashes in pilastered cases. The narrower bays to each side contain doors of six fielded panels in pilastered cases with blank panels above them. A second-storey floorband runs across, with a blank panel at the entrance bay; two square 6-pane sashes to each side have simple stone cases with keys. A cornice supports a parapet with simple stone cap. A clock is set in the central pediment. The central octagonal belfry cupola has round-arched bell-openings and a copper roof.

Projecting south and north wings each have two basket-arched 16-pane sashes to the court at ground floor level and two square 6-pane sashes to the first floor, all in cases matching those of the central block. The front of the south wing displays a basket-arched window to the former Chapel of St John, its arch breaking the floorband, with two mullions, a central glazing bar, two horizontal bars and an impost transom; the case features panelled pilasters. The north wing has a basement window projecting above the plinth and a window of 46 panes, including a fanlight, in a case matching that of the chapel.

The south face has six fixed lights of 16 panes with 1-pane hopper inserts; 6-pane first floor sashes sit above, all in cases matching those to the front. A plinth, floorband, cornice and parapet run across this elevation. The north face is similar to the south face, with a door and windows also facing the basement toward Canal Street. The rear is simply expressed.

A long, narrow area to the basement has a quarter-landing and ten concrete steps descending to basement level, with access to the central passage bridging the area. A wrought-iron railing to the area has round knob-topped balusters set on a painted stone plinth. Brick reveals to the passage arch feature panelled imposts and a keystone.

The ground floor contains two segmental-arched 12-pane flush sashes and an altered deeper 15-pane sash to the north of the passage. A square bay window of four, four, eight, four, four-panes with stone pilaster mullions is present. Two segmental-arched 15-pane sashes and a bay window matching that to the north sit to the south of the passage. A brick floorband is laid beneath 11 recessed 9-pane fixed lights to the second storey, set in segmental-arched openings. A cornice, parapet and plain stone coping complete the composition, with two lateral chimneys.

The interior has been largely stripped of details. Recessed 2-panel shaped double gates with wrought-iron spikes stand in the central through-passage. Cellars at the rear retain some barrel and groined vaulting in brick. A few doors of six fielded or six plain panels survive. A dogleg oak stair at the junctions of the south and north wings with the central wing features turned newels, stick balusters and oak rails. One or two rooms retain cornices. The former Chapel of St John Baptist has been stripped of features and sub-divided.