Roger Ascham School Gymnasium And Attached Classroom

The Roger Ascham School Gymnasium and attached classroom is a building from 1927, designed by G W Teasdale, the borough architect. Originally part of an open-air school, it features a rectangular plan with a hipped plain tile roof and deep eaves, constructed from Flemish bond red brick and timber.

The exterior is single-storey with a 3:6 bay southwest front. The right side, which was originally open, now has a glazed front set back behind wooden posts. The left side includes a 3-bay classroom with glazed double doors in the center, flanked by sidelights and large four-light folding windows with glazing bars and top lights. The left return is similarly glazed.

Inside, the gymnasium has an open roof supported by queen-strut trusses.

Roger Ascham School is notable as one of the most intact open-air schools remaining in England. It was established in 1916 in wooden buildings in Vinery Road, Cambridge, before moving to Ascham Road in 1927. The school was designed to aid children whose development had been affected by illness, allowing for their eventual integration into regular schools. By 1949, there were 127 open-air schools in England, influenced by the design principles of the 20th century.