Lyceum And Art School

OLDHAM

SD9204NE UNION STREET 780-1/6/83 (North side) 23/01/73 Lyceum and School of Art

GV II

Lyceum and Art School. Built in a single block and to a common style, the Lyceum in 1856, the Art School (to the right) added in 1881. Pennington of Manchester the original architect. Ashlar, rusticated to ground floor, Welsh slate roof. The 2 buildings form a strongly symmetrical range, differing only in small details. Each is 2-storeyed, a 7-window range with central entrance. Lyceum (to the left) has round-arched doorway with rusticated and chamfered stonework each side, and paired 8-panelled doors in slightly advanced architrave enriched with low-relief carving. Three 2-pane sashes each side of entrance, and round-arched upper windows with low relief panelling above and below forming a continuous arcade at first floor level. Laurel wreaths in low relief above the windows, and Greek key frieze. Elaborate tripartite window over entrance, with foliate capitals to architrave, round-arched central light, and segmental glazing forming outer arch. Cast-iron balconette. Modillions and foliate emblems form cornice over this bay, which has a shallow segmental pediment inscribed "Lyceum". Urns surmount the panelled parapet. Art School similarly detailed, differing only in the entrance bay, which has a plainer squared architrave and overlight, with heavily rusticated piers. Pediment over this bay inscribed "Science and Art". Return elevations to Clegg Street and Greaves Street similarly detailed. Heavy decorated cast-iron railings on low plinth wall with stone piers at angles and each side of entrance steps, surmounted by cast-iron globe lamps. The Lyceum was built to include newsroom, reading room and library, lecture rooms, committee and club rooms, class rooms and observatory.

Listing NGR: SD9273604906