Wapping Road School with attached steps and boundary walls

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 14 June 2021 to reformat text to current standards

1/0/10092

Undercliffe WAPPING ROAD Wapping Road School, with attached steps and boundary walls

01.11.01

II

Board school. 1877, with additions and alterations 1882, 1897 and C20. Rockfaced stone, with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roofs. Renaissance Revival style.

Two major blocks on steeply sloping site.

Left block, single storey plus basement, 7 x 3 bays, has chamfered plinth, sill band, string course and eaves detail. Hipped and gabled roofs with coped gables and two coped ridge stacks. Windows are mainly cross-mullioned, with stone mullions and transoms, some reglazed late C20. Basement has central double door and glazing bar overlight in plain chamfered surround. Above, central five-light window with sidelights. On each side, a projecting bay with blank basement and shouldered coped gable with finial. Round arched recess with hood mould, flanked by pilasters, containing a cross-mullioned window. Beyond, single similar windows. At each end, a projecting bay with hipped roof and a four-light window. Left return has to right two pairs of cross casements with stepped heads. To left, a single light, then two cross casements. At the rear, five gabled ranges, single storey, each with cross mullioned windows. At the left end, a similar range, 1 x 3 windows, with gabled and hipped ends and cross casements. Attached at the rear, a playshed and entrance bay, in two units, one and two bays.

Right block, single storey plus basement, 6 x 3 bays, has similar detailing. Gabled and hipped roofs with three ridge stacks, two with paired flues. In the centre, four round-arched basement openings, glazed-in. Above, four cross-casements. Projecting end bays have coped gables with finials. Left wing has single round arched window and C20 lean-to porch; right wing has two round arched windows. Above, each has a round arched recess with hood mould, containing a three-light window. To right, gabled wing, set back, with cross-casement to left and four-light window to right. Rear has gabled wings at each end, that to left larger and with a hipped projection in the return angle.

INTERIOR: Left block has hall divided by folding panelled screen, with arch braced roof, ceiled C20, and matchboard dado. Smaller hall has similar details plus round-arched stone fireplace with keystone. Classrooms plain, with glazing bar windows to the hall. Right block has large classrooms, formerly separated by glazed screens, and two large roll-moulded stone fireplaces. Swimming pool has original tile lining and glazed brick wall panels.

OUTSIDE: Between the main blocks, a stone staircase with intermediate landing, and balustrade walls with chamfered coping. To right, a similar curving staircase. Rockfaced stone boundary wall encloses the site, with chamfered coping and renewed railing between piers to the front. Gabled stone coping to sides and rear.

Listing NGR: SE1679033868