Old School at High Wych Jmi School (North East Block) is a Grade II listed building in the East Hertfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 April 1985. School. 3 related planning applications.

Old School at High Wych Jmi School (North East Block)

WRENN ID
tall-moat-dust
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
East Hertfordshire
Constituency
Hertford and Stortford MP: Josh Dean (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
30 April 1985
Type
School
Address
Old School at High Wych Jmi School (North East Block), High Wych Road, CM21 0JB
OS grid reference
TL 463 140
Coordinates
51.80638, 0.12096
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

This is a village school built in 1860-61 by G E Pritchett, and opened on April 13, 1861. It is located on the west side of High Wych Road in High Wych Village. The school is an elaborate example of Gothic architecture, constructed primarily of knapped flint with stone dressings, and is situated near a contemporary Gothic church also designed by Pritchett. A schoolhouse is attached to the southeast corner.

The main range is set back from the road at a right angle. It is a single-storey building with a lower, lean-to narthex (entrance area) on the east end and a lean-to porch on the north side, which is under a lower extension of the main roof. A similar gabled range extends to the south, featuring a large projecting porch also under a flatter roof. A later 19th-century addition forms the angle of the L-shaped plan.

The east front, facing the road, has a steep gabled roof with a small, square bell-turret topped with a cusped timber bell stage and a tall, shingled spire. A tall, elongated triple lancet window, featuring stone dressings and alternating dark brick voussoirs, is set within the gable. There is a stone vent slot in the gable. A lean-to narthex sits below the window. The south gable is engaged with the schoolhouse. The north gable has moulded stone copings, a roll-moulded kneeler, stone quoins, and an offset plinth. The original red brick dressings are visible on the inclined buttress. A pointed arched doorway, featuring two recessed orders and a heavy plank door with elaborate iron hinges, is located at the end. The north side is asymmetrical, with two high, gabled lucarne windows alternating with two tall, tapered projecting chimneys, and the lean-to porch. Double lines of yellow brick headers are set within the flint at sill level of the triple lancets and porch window. The flint chimneys have stone quoins, a plinth offset, capping, and red brick slopes with alternating corbels. A small double window with a trefoil sinking and alternating stone and dark brick arch is also present.

Inside the main range is a single volume space with a 7-bay scissor rafter roof and tie rods. This striking Gothic school building complements Pritchett's nearby church of St James. Land for the schoolhouse and school was conveyed in 1860. The school was initially intended for services, and was used for tea at the church's consecration on June 27, 1861.

Local climate

Old School at High Wych Jmi School (North East Block) sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 700 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 92% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 89% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 50% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 3 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. School House Grade II 15 m
  2. Parish Church of St James the Great Grade II* 43 m
  3. Wall and Gates Alongside Road at Parish Church of St James and School House Grade II 44 m
  4. Thatched Building at South Side of Junction with High Wych Lane Grade II 149 m
  5. High Wych Grange Grade II 159 m
  6. The Half Moon Public House Grade II 189 m
  7. Wychcroft Cottages Grade II 189 m
  8. Vine Cottage Opposite Post Office Grade II 199 m
  9. Bakers Farm House Grade II 295 m
  10. Former Stable Block at Bakers Farm Grade II 326 m