Birkdale School

Birkdale School is a house that has been converted into a school, dating from around 1840, with a rear addition that serves as a library, added around 1900. The building is constructed of brick with ashlar dressings and features hipped and gabled slate roofs, supported by two ridge stacks and two side wall stacks. It has a plinth, first floor, and sill bands, along with modillion wood eaves. The structure is two storeys high and has a three-window range. The windows consist of 12-pane sashes on the upper floor and plain sashes on the lower floor, all topped with brick flat arches.

The central portico is supported by two fluted Doric columns in antis and features a cornice and blocking course. The entrance includes a panelled door with an overlight, flanked by a window on each side. The right side of the building has four windows with regular spacing, and to the right is a set-back rear wing that is also two storeys high with a three-window range. In front of this wing is a single-storey addition with a hipped roof and canted corners, which contains six three-light wooden cross casements and a door with an overlight to its left. The left return features a round-headed stair window. At the rear, there is a 19th-century two-storey gabled wing with three 12-pane sashes, one of which has been altered to serve as a fire escape.

Inside, the entrance hall and stairwell are adorned with enriched cornices, and there is a cantilever stone dogleg stair with an ornate cast-iron balustrade. The main rooms also feature enriched cornices and doorcases, including one fluted slate fireplace with a hob grate. The library addition is finished with wood panelling, an enriched cornice, and a saucer dome.