Hall Cross Comprehensive School

Hall Cross Comprehensive School

This building began as a grammar school and is now a comprehensive school. The school consists of two distinct structures: the original 1869 building designed by G G Scott, with minor later alterations, and a 1938 extension by Julian Leathart.

The 1869 Building

The original structure is constructed of red brick with sandstone dressings and a clay tile roof. It follows a medieval guildhall type plan with a first-floor hall positioned over an open ground floor.

The main elevation is two storeys and seven bays, with a two-storey wing to the rear. A stone-coped plinth runs along the base, with full-height buttresses and stone offsets between bays. A diagonal buttress projects to the left corner, while the right corner features an octagonal turret with stone coping at its base.

On the ground floor, the two end bays contain pointed arch three-light geometric traceried windows with hoodmoulds. The five central bays were infilled in the 1930s with lower brick panels and seven-light arched metal-framed windows. The first floor is divided by a continuous chamfered stringcourse, broken by the buttresses but not at the turret. Above this run seven large flat-headed windows with six-light mullion and transom frames, their lights arched and cusped. A moulded stone corbel table with bracketed eaves runs across. Stone-coped gables feature a twin octagonal stone stack to the left gable. The corner turret has a chamfered stringcourse at eaves level and an ashlar top with ogee-headed lancets to each side below moulded pointed arches set on nookshafts with moulded capitals. A corbel table supports an octagonal spire with gableted lucarnes.

The south gable wall contains a large pointed geometric traceried six-light window with hoodmould in a moulded surround at first-floor level, and a small moulded circular window in the gable above. At ground-floor level are two double-chamfered lancets with three similar lancets beneath and a shallower lancet to the left. The right-hand lancets in both rows were blocked when the 1930s building was constructed abutting the south-east corner.

The north gable wall has a similar large geometric traceried window with three double-chamfered lancets beneath.

The rear elevation is largely obscured by the 1930s building, though two right-hand bays retain similar flat-headed six-light windows on the first floor and two flat-headed windows with three-light mullion frames with cusped arched lights on the ground floor; the right-hand ground-floor window was converted to a wide doorway. The rear wing has a stone-coped plinth and full-height diagonal buttresses with stone offsets; the left buttress was partially removed where the 1930s building was attached. The gable displays a central projecting flue with a triple octagonal stone stack and two six-light traceried windows below, partially obscured. Two inserted windows appear on both ground and first floors of the north side wall.

The interior of the 1869 building features moulded cross beams on carved stone corbels to the ground floor, supported by cast-iron columns at their mid-points. An inserted partition wall creates a large room with a corridor along the rear. Two arched doorways with timber doors and decorative iron hinges open from the corridor into the ground-floor room in the rear wing, which has a chimney breast to the rear wall but no fireplace.

The original school room on the first floor, now used as a library, retains a panelled gallery with an inset clock to the south end, reached by a spiral staircase. Massive arched braced roof trusses rest on moulded corbels. Two similar arched doorways open into the first-floor room in the rear wing, which has also lost its fireplace. A north window in the hall contains 20th-century stained glass.

The 1938 Building

The 1938 extension, designed by Julian Leathart, is constructed of brick with concrete and ashlar dressings, flat concrete roofs, and plain tile pitched roofs. It follows a quadrangular plan with the main entrance block positioned to the south-west of the original Grammar School block.

Most windows have concrete sills and moulded concrete lintels. The main north-west front is two storeys with ten window bays and a tall water tower to the right, featuring a tall concrete and ashlar plinth. The two outer bays contain circular windows flanking eight chamfered pointed arches, each with lower brick panels and seven-light arched metal-framed windows. Above are ten small two-light casement windows topped with a continuous coped parapet. A stepped, projecting square tower to the right has a pointed arched doorway with moulded ashlar surround and studded double doors, surmounted by a carved stone coat-of-arms, with a single two-light casement to its right featuring an ornate metal grill. Above this is a single four-light casement window with an unusual block ashlar lintel. Near the tower apex is a tall round-headed opening with a projecting balcony and iron balustrade. The right-hand end of the block features a projecting single-storey wing with a curved end.

The north-east elevation displays five two-light casements; the three to the left have inscribed foundation stones below. The curved end contains three four-light casements, while the south-west elevation has seven casements, mostly fitted with later roller blinds.

The main south-west front features a tall canted oriel staircase window to the left, a single round-headed doorway with fanlight, and nine further chamfered pointed arches with seven-light casement windows, the end window partly obscured by a later 20th-century addition of no special interest. Above are seven tall round-headed windows serving the upper hall.

The south-east front displays a twenty-eight-window facade with projecting wings at either end—the left wing containing the gymnasium and the right wing the swimming pool. The central eighteen-window section has four-light casement windows, those on the ground floor being taller. On either side are double doors in curved brick surrounds with concrete hoods and single tall staircase windows above. The five outer windows to the left and three windows to the right have plain coped parapets. The gymnasium block to the left has six tall windows and three pairs of smaller windows. The swimming pool block to the right has eight sunk panels with three-light upper windows.

The interior of the 1938 building retains many original features, including a curved staircase with a brass handrail and a low relief plaque of a lion supporter at its base in the entrance lobby. The assembly hall features a stage and original decoration, original parquet flooring, and doors with port-hole windows throughout.