18 Market Place

Former house, built between around 1780 to 1800, adapted for use as a school in 1896.

MATERIALS: The roof has a slate covering and the walls are constructed of red brick.

PLAN: The building is roughly rectangular on plan, facing north-east to Market Place.

EXTERIOR: The front elevation is two storeys in height and three bays in width. The pitched roof has a slate covering, internal red-brick chimneystacks to its north and south gables and projecting bracketed eaves over the front elevation. The red brick walls are laid in Flemish bond, with a painted plat band over the ground floor. A relocated wall plaque at first floor level records the foundation of a school in 1736 by Nicholas Hamond. The south bay of the ground floor has a stuccoed doorcase with minor incised decoration and a plain entablature, containing a margined overlight and six-panelled door. The ground and first floor have two and three bays of windows respectively, with gauged skewback arches and six-over-six sashes without horns; the central window of the first floor has horns. A two-storey library was added to the rear in 1954, with three large bays of windows to the south-west.

INTERIOR: The entrance hall has a sandstone floor and plain moulded cornice; a curved stair at the west end has stick balusters and a wreathed handrail. North of the entrance hall, the drawing room has a moulded cornice, lugged surrounds to the doors and windows, fitted cupboards, and a classical timber fire surround with a cast-iron and glazed tile insert. The rear corridor has hexagonal pamments, and a door with an overlight to the rear lobby. The rear room, partially rebuilt to form a library in 1954, retains an early-C19 lugged door surround, dado rail and skirting. The north room of the first floor, overlooking Market Place, retains an early-C19 moulded cornice, ceiling rose, window shutters, architraves, and painted stone fire surround. The south room retains a cornice, splayed window shutters, architraves, and timber fire surround with ovals in a frieze linked by swags. The rear room was constructed in 1954.