St Martins Preparatory School

St Martin's Preparatory School

This is a house, now converted to a school, built in 1901 for George William Goddard, a ship chandler. It was possibly designed by HC Scaping of Grimsby. The building is constructed in red brick with ashlar dressings and has a green slate roof.

The house exemplifies Edwardian Freestyle architecture. It is approximately rectangular in plan, with 2 rooms facing the main west front and a 2-room central entrance hall on the south front, with a conservatory to the south-east corner.

The exterior is 2 storeys. The west front comprises 4 irregular bays, with a recessed central bay positioned between projecting single-bay sections; the right corner features a turret. The central bay displays a cross-window flanked by single-light windows, and is ornamented with an elaborate cast-iron veranda featuring slender quatrefoil columns, openwork arches and a balustraded balcony. The left bay contains a 4-light window with lintel and an elaborate carved panel above. The right bay has a cross-window and narrow transomed windows to the turret.

A string course and first-floor sill band run across the elevation. The central bay includes a French window opening to the balcony with a carved relief panel above. The left bay has a first-floor canted bay window with tall parapet ramped up to coped piers with cast-iron railings; the right bay features a cross-window beneath a stylized open pediment.

The turret displays narrow transomed windows linked by flush bands and string course. The central bay is finished with a balustraded parapet, whilst the side bays have shaped coped gables incorporating flush bands and elaborate relief panels bearing the date and monogram, topped with ball finials. The turret has a parapet with ball finials and stylized acutely-angled triangular open pediments containing miniature obelisks, surmounted by a tall octagonal spire.

Throughout, the windows retain original plate-glass with moulded mullions, transoms and moulded lintels, some featuring stylized open pediments. A roof stack and end stack to the left display central ribs and corniced ashlar caps.

The right return forms the south entrance front. Here stands the main entrance, defined by brick pilasters and an ashlar Doric surround with a segmental pediment and carved tympanum. Above this is a cross-window and an elaborate gable similar to that on the west front, with obelisks and scrollwork relief, balustraded parapet and segmental pedimented section with ball finial. Adjoining this is a projecting gabled section with a ground-floor canted bay window.

A wooden conservatory projects to the rear right, comprising 3 bays with central canted bay. It has a moulded brick plinth, continuous ashlar sill band, and a wooden upper section with fluted pilasters and moulded cornice. Round-headed plate-glass windows with columned mullions and small-paned panels above light the interior.

The interior contains a staircase hall with an arcaded screen of fluted square columns, and a wooden imperial staircase with square Ionic column balusters. The main rooms retain original chimneypieces and ornate plasterwork cornices and arches. The ground-floor north-west room is particularly elaborate, featuring a deeply coved ceiling with dentilated cornice and dado panelling.

This building represents a fine example of a house built for one of the entrepreneurs connected with the Grimsby fishing industry.