Worcester Royal Grammar School Eld Hall, Main Building, Attached Gates And Gate Piers

Worcester Royal Grammar School. Eld Hall to the left (north) was built in 1868 by A.E. Perkins, while the attached wing to the south was built in 1895 by A. Hill Parker, architect of Worcester (who also designed Perrins Hall and buildings for the King's School). The buildings are constructed of red brick with stone dressings and have plain clay tile roofs. A timber and lead lantern crowns the ridge of Eld Hall.

Eld Hall was originally an open hall, but a first floor was inserted around 1981 (prior to listing in 1989). The main front presents a 3-window range. Stone dressings include quoins, a plinth and sill band, window surrounds, a cornice, and copings with urns to curvilinear gables. A plaque with niche above contains a statue to the central gable of the facade, with a coat-of-arms over the door. The windows are 3-light mullion and transom to full height with curved heads to each light and lattice glazing. Each window is surmounted by a curvilinear gable, those to the left and right having slit windows. A niche in the central gable contains a statue of Elizabeth I attributed to Perkins and executed by Boulton. The centre window and gable break forward slightly, defined by quoins. An octagonal lantern with diamond leaded lights crowns the centre of the main ridge, topped by a spirelet with ornate finial. A large 5-light perpendicular-style window appears to the right-return with a rectangular louvered opening above. The left-return is similar but partially concealed by a set-back, single-storey entrance range with a gabled porch matching the design of the gables over the hall windows. This features arch-headed 15-panel double-leaf doors with a carved Royal coat-of-arms above and a 3-light window to the left.

The southern wing is attached to Eld Hall by a set-back link containing an entrance, designed in similar style and materials. The building's longitudinal axis runs at right-angles to the street. It is 2 storeys tall with 1 first-floor window. Stone detailing includes a plinth capping, window surrounds, a head band to the ground-floor window and sill-band to the first-floor window with 3 carved shields between, copings and 2 bands to the gable. There are 3-light mullion and transom windows with sidelights to each floor. The centre ground-floor window forms a shallow bay with brickwork on either side rising to form 2 piers with their upper sections in stone. Each light to the first-floor windows has pointed arch heads, with a segmental pointed arch over the centre 3 lights and horizontal glazing bars. A polygonal-ended stair turret to the left features a small 2-light mullion window on the ground floor and a tall 2-light mullion and transom window above. Rising sills to the 3-light mullion and transom window to the left-return echo the staircase within. The right-return has a central full-height bay capped by a large parapeted gable. Extensions to the rear of both buildings are later.

The Eld Hall interior retains some original features including a fireplace, panelling and an exposed hammer-beam roof.

To the extreme left of the group is a pair of ornate wrought-iron gates hung on polygonal stone piers terminated by a moulded cornice, domed caps and finials. These are linked to the entrance range of Eld Hall by a 2-metre length of 2-metre high brick wall with stone coping. The gates and piers have been relocated from their original location in front of the entrance, probably as a result of road widening in the first half of the 20th century.

The Eld Hall is named as a tribute to Reverend F.J. Eld, headmaster from 1860 to 1892.