Uffculme School

Uffculme School

An open-air school built in 1911 by F. Barry Peacock of the architectural firm Cossins, Peacock and Bewlay, commissioned by Barrow and Geraldine Cadbury. The school has undergone later alterations and additions.

The school is constructed of red brick with slightly swept pyramidal roofs of green slate. The original large folding glazed timber screens that enclosed the classrooms and main block have been replaced by fixed screens, which are either glazed, boarded, or a combination of both.

The buildings are arranged in a number of blocks on a north-west to south-east axis. At the north-west end stands the main block, with a cloakroom block (not included in the listing) positioned behind to the east. At the centre of the group are three square classroom pavilions laid out corner to corner in a staggered alignment designed to capture maximum sunlight; these are now linked by small boarded blocks. Metal-framed covered walkways on the north-eastern side connect the main buildings but do not form part of the listing. To the south-east stands the former resting shed, now with extensive additions not included in the listing. Small former lavatory blocks to the north-east are also excluded from the listing.

The main block was originally T-shaped in plan, comprising a two-storey central block extending north to south with single-storey wings extending at right-angles from the south end. By 1937 an extension was added to the north-west corner in a style matching the original buildings; this has since been further extended. The south elevation is framed by two brick piers with a wide opening to the dining room at ground-floor level and two sash windows above. Between the windows sits the original metal clock. The building corners are marked by curved bricks, with recessed panels at the top of each pier. The tops and bottoms of windows are defined by reeded strips. The east and west wings contain continuations of the dining hall, with a classroom at the east end of the east wing. The openings throughout the school now contain large fixed glazed panels. Above the central opening is the fixing point for one of the awnings that once sheltered the area in front of the dining hall. The west elevation features a central gabled bay with an external stack rising to the left; several windows on this elevation have been replaced. On the north and east elevations are arched window openings with shallow brick aprons and original sash frames. At the north end of the east elevation, a narrow arched doorway originally led to the doctor's room.

Inside the main block, the dining room remains an open space with boarded piers between the south openings and a false ceiling. A stair with an iron hand rail and newel post leads to the first floor. Above the dining room are offices, originally the teachers' common room and headteacher's room. The kitchens occupy the upper floor to prevent cooking smells from spreading through the building. They retain their original divisions with brown glazed dado tiles and terracotta floor tiles laid in herringbone pattern; the chimney alcove survives intact, though the original gas stove has been removed. The two-storey block retains a number of original doors with horizontal recessed panels. The northern ground-floor areas, which originally housed slipper and spray baths, no longer retain features indicative of this use, and internal partitions and false ceilings have been inserted.

Each of the three classroom pavilions is square in plan. The structure consists of a brick pier at each corner to the front (south) and a brick wall to the back (north), with curved bricks at the corners. The spaces between were originally filled by folding glazed screens, now replaced with fixed screens. Small windows have been inserted in the rear walls. A shaft rises from the north-west corner of the central block, associated with the original central heating system through which hot water pipes ran around the classrooms beneath a grille. The apex of each polygonal roof is marked by a simple finial. The conversion that replaced the folding screens also saw the pavilions linked by small boarded blocks of no special interest.

The classroom interiors were originally completely plain, with only a bare brick dado and painted render above. They remain plain, with the piers visible between the new screens. The walls are painted and false ceilings have been inserted.