Former John Street Cp School

The former John Street Council Primary School, built between 1911 and 1912, is attributed to Charles E. Deacon and Horsburgh, architects of Liverpool, working for the Cheshire County Council. Constructed of blue brick with narrow red brick detailing, ashlar sandstone dressings, Westmorland slate roof coverings, and tall mid-slope chimneys, it was later subject to minor alterations in the late 20th century.

The building has a rectangular plan comprising parallel front and rear ranges, with returns, the two ranges treated differently, enclosing a taller central hall.

The north-east front elevation is symmetrical, featuring a twin-gabled entrance. Each gablet is made of ashlar; the left one bears the letters "C.C.C" (Cheshire County Council), and the right, the date 1912. Below a dentil course, a frieze displays the inscription "JOHN ST. SCHOOL" in raised lettering. Central and outer pilasters punctuate the façade, with two tall tripartite windows of 7:21:7 panes, each with pivoting upper lights, placed between them. Flanking these are set-back bays containing two casements of 4:12:12 panes. Twin gables are at each end, each with a 7:14:7 pane window flanked by 10-pane casements. Window openings are set beneath gauged brick arches.

The south-west elevation has fifteen bays, with advanced end bays beneath pyramidal roofs. Bays 2 and 14 are flat-roofed, linked to the centre part by five tall through-eaves windows of 7:14:7 panes each beneath wide flat gauged-arched heads, flanked by eight-pane casements. Mid-span chimney stacks with corbelled caps sit between these windows. The end elevations each provide separate entrances for girls and boys via a central, flat-roofed porch with a semi-circular pediment and double doors.

The interior has not been inspected.

The school’s construction reflected the early years of the Cheshire County Council’s role as education authority. Its unusual plan, single-story layout, and compact spatial arrangement represent a notable contrast to the architecture of late 19th-century Board Schools. Deacon and Horsburgh also designed the nearby Cambridge Road School in 1907.