Ripley St Thomas'S School, Original School Building

The original building of Ripley St Thomas's School, now part of a larger school complex, was constructed between 1856 and 1864. It was designed by J Cunningham and funded by Mrs Julia Ripley, with later additions in 1885 by Paley and Austin. The building is of polygonal sandstone masonry with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. Its original layout was an “E” shape, with wings projecting to the north, although the east wing has since been largely demolished, leaving one two-story bay. A west wing, also now of two stories and six bays, features a projecting stair turret on its north end. The architectural style is Gothic Revival.

The central feature is a tall tower rising between two identical gabled three-story wings, the gables of which have been remodelled. The windows all have pointed lights. Ground-floor windows are single-light, with canted oriel windows rising through the first and second floors. The tower rises centrally with three tall lancet openings in its upper stage, and a shield of arms carved on its embattled parapet. The main entrance is arched, spanning between the wings and supporting a parapet with quatrefoils; the inner doorway has timber doors within a screen of coloured glass. Links of two stories and six bays flank the entrance, separated by buttresses. The ground-floor arcades are now glazed, and the first-floor windows are from the 20th century, set within reconstructed rectangular, chamfered stone surrounds. The 1885 additions, facing north, consist of two gabled bays with three-light windows featuring Perpendicular tracery in pointed heads. A wing projecting westward has two two-light windows with Perpendicular tracery in its north gable, separated by a buttress. A doorway in the east wall of this wing bears the carved date “1885.”

The Ripley Hospital was initially established to provide education and maintenance for 300 orphaned children from Lancaster and Liverpool, with separate accommodation for boys and girls. In 1885, additions and alterations were undertaken by Paley and Austin, which included the Chapel and new schools and classrooms.