Egerton Street County Primary School, Shelter And Railings

This is a primary school, playground shelter, and railings, dating from 1909-10. Designed by John Douglas and WT Lockwood for Chester City Council, it faces Egerton Street, Albert Street, and Crewe Street. The building is constructed of red brick with yellow terracotta dressings and a brown tile roof.

The north elevation (facing Albert Street) features a double entrance door with bolection panels and circular glazed panels divided into six panes, a fanlight with square panes, and a round-arched terracotta hood supported on consoles. There are also hopper windows with 12 panes, and a semicircular gable with terracotta bands, moulded coping, and ball finials, culminating in a circular window with nine panes within an ornate terracotta surround. The west wing of this elevation includes hopper windows with 16 and 24 panes, and a half-round gable with terracotta dressings.

The west elevation (facing Egerton Street) comprises two parallel wings at right angles to the street. The north wing has hopper windows with 9 panes, while the south wing has hopper windows with 24 panes under a half-round terracotta-dressed gable with volutes, bands, an ornate cartouche, moulded coping, and ball finials.

The south elevation (facing the playground) features replaced metal glazed double doors with sidelights, a brick and timber-framed lean-to porch with a half-glazed rear door, and two half-round terracotta-dressed gables above three 24-pane hopper windows, ornamented with volutes, bands, a 9-pane round gable window in an ornate surround, ball finials, and moulded copings. The south-east corner of the building has an altered lower storey and 12-pane hopper windows on the upper storey. The windows are basket-arched with terracotta keys; cast-iron rainwater pipes and heads are fitted, and the eaves have exposed rafters. Four shaped chimneys are also present.

The playground shelter, also serving as a covered entrance from Crewe Street, has a half-gable with a terracotta basket arch over an ornamental cast-iron gate, accompanied by terracotta bands. Two tapered cast-iron columns with moulded capitals support a hipped roof with exposed rafters and boarding. The interior of the school was not inspected.

It is a complete example of Edwardian schools built by Chester City Council, accompanied by iron railings with a brick and terracotta plinth and piers, which are visible from all surrounding streets.