Sharp Street Ragged School

The Sharp Street Ragged School, now used as a mission, Sunday School, and Boys' Club, was established in 1853 and rebuilt in 1869. It is constructed of red brick with a slate roof and has a rectangular plan. The building is two storeys high and consists of 8 bays, each featuring pilasters and a corbel table. On the ground floor, there is a round-headed doorway in the first bay, which has a panelled door and a fanlight with semi-circular tracery. The fourth bay contains a segmental-headed window with a doorway below the sill, which may have been added later. The other bays have coupled segmental-headed windows, while the first floor features coupled round-headed windows. The rear of the building is similar in design. Inside, there is a longitudinal partition that once divided the school into two halves on the ground floor, with one side designated for reception classes for children who needed to be tamed before they could be educated. The interior also includes a stone staircase, a hall on the first floor, and original fireplaces and other fittings. The building remains in use by the charitable institution that originally established it.