The Old School House

The Old School House is a house dating from the early 17th century, with alterations in 1658 and the 18th century. In the late 19th century, it was converted into a school, and restored around 1999. The construction incorporates timber framing, uncoursed rubble, ashlar dressings, and plain tile roofs, with a single valley stack. It is arranged as a two-story building plus garrets, forming an L-plan with a main range, a cross wing, a schoolroom, a stair turret, and attached rear outbuildings.

Most of the windows have been replaced, featuring stone mullions, transoms, surrounds, and late 20th-century glazing.

The garden front, facing north, has a central gable to the cross wing, with a four-light cross-mullioned window on the lower floors and a two-light window in the garret. The main range to the left is flush, with a cross-mullioned window on the ground floor and a four-light mullioned window above. To the right is a projecting gable for the schoolroom, mirroring the fenestration of the cross wing, with a bell above the garret window. The right return has two three-light cross-mullioned windows.

The rear elevation features a central gable to the cross wing, incorporating a late 20th-century full-width sunroom. Above the sunroom is a cross-mullioned window, and further above this is renewed timber framing with a three-light wood-mullioned window. A projecting gable of the schoolroom has a tall three-light cross-mullioned window and a small loop window above. A single-story projecting outbuilding on the right has a three-light mullioned window on its east side. In the return angle, there’s a late 20th-century gabled porch, with a glazed wooden structure on a rubble plinth. Further along the right, the main range has a five-light cross-mullioned window, with a four-light mullioned window to its left and a single-light window to its right above.

Inside, the ground floor of the main range has three moulded span beams with stops, one of which is a replica, and an 18th-century panelled door. The first floor has box framing and exposed queen post roof trusses with double butt purlins. A winding stair leads to the roof space located in the southwest corner, adjoining the stair turret; a fragment of chip-carved panelling is on the north wall. The stair turret has some box framing and includes a late 20th-century stair. The cross wing displays substantial cross-beams and joists to the north, dating from the early 17th century, and a lighter ceiling structure to the south. A late 20th-century inserted gallery and fireplace are also present, along with a single purlin roof with collars showing evidence of alteration. The schoolroom features inserted floors from the late 20th century and a 19th-century kingpost roof with struts.