The Abbey National Boys' School is a Grade II listed building in the St Albans local planning authority area, England. First listed on 27 August 1971. School. 2 related planning applications.
The Abbey National Boys' School
- WRENN ID
- broken-alcove-auburn
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- St Albans
- Constituency
- St Albans MP: Daisy Cooper (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 27 August 1971
- Type
- School
- Address
- The Abbey National Boys' School, Spicer Street, AL3 4PQ
- OS grid reference
- TL 145 072
- Coordinates
- 51.75191, -0.34266
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Abbey National Boys’ School comprises three building sections dating from the mid-19th century. The right-hand section was built in 1846 by Professor Donaldson, a founder of the Royal Institute of British Architects. This two-storey, five-window section has a steeply pitched slate roof with a tall, central gable containing a one-light casement window, and two tall chimneys featuring three conjoined, square shafts, located one bay from each end. Four steeply-gabled dormers are interspersed between the chimneys. The walls are red brick with a diamond pattern created by blue headers, and a brick plinth. Stone mullioned and transomed windows are set within alternating block surrounds, with two-light windows in the outer bays and three-light windows in the central three bays. Segmental brick relieving arches are above the ground and first-floor windows.
A second section, built in 1874, is also two storeys and matches the style of the first, using red brick and similar windows, but with a tiled roof and a single gable on the left. The third section, added in 1884, is single-storey with two gables and louvred openings, again in red brick and with matching windows and a tiled roof.
Local climate
The Abbey National Boys' School sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 720 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 82% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 79% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 32 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 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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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 2 transactions since 1996
- Related listed building consents — 2 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
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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