Old School House and boundary wall

Old School House and boundary wall

This National School was built in 1868 to a design by Frederick Preedy and has since been converted to a house in the late 20th century. It stands within a boundary wall punctuated by gate piers.

The school is constructed of local flint with limestone quoins and surrounds. The pitched roof carries natural slate on its south-east slope and replacement slate on the north-west slope. The building is rectangular in plan with a single-storey perpendicular projection extending from the north-west elevation. The school appears on the 1886 Ordnance Survey map.

The exterior walls feature local flint with limestone quoins, a chamfered limestone plinth course, and limestone window and door surrounds. All windows are uPVC. The north-east elevation contains a pointed-arch former door opening, now infilled by a window, alongside a timber battened exterior door. The south-west gable displays a sextafoil window beneath a carved armorial shield set within a trefoil frame.

The south-east elevation is organised into three window bays separated by a chimney stack. The two northern bays each contain three window openings, while the southern bay has four. Each opening features a finely carved pointed trefoil arch with chamfered reveals. The external axial chimney stack is rectangular in plan, tapering above eaves height to support an octagonal shaft with limestone coping. It bears a carved quatrefoil plaque inscribed with the initials 'J H S' of its patron J H Sparke.

The south-west gable features a tripartite window of three pointed-arch trefoil-headed lights. Above this sits a quatrefoil window containing a fixed latticed light, and a wrought-iron crucifix crowns the gable apex. The north-west elevation comprises two bays: the southern bay has three pointed-arch trefoil-headed window openings, while the northern bay contains two small square-headed openings.

The single-storey flat-roofed projection on the north-west side features a pointed-arch door opening on its north-east elevation with chamfered limestone surround, timber battened door, and decorative wrought-iron strap hinges. The south-west elevation door opening has a yellow brick surround of later date, containing a timber battened door also fitted with wrought-iron strap hinges.

Internally, the former school is entered through the north-east porch. The former classroom retains its original plan form as a double-height space from the original floor level to the roof structure. The original king-post roof is supported by four round-arched trusses sitting on carved limestone corbels. Diagonal timber panelling laid between the rafters enhances the roof's decorative detail. An original fireplace survives at floor level with a replacement tiled surround and stove. A raised platform was added to the south end of the classroom around 1970, with a mezzanine level, ground floor bedrooms and bathroom added to the north end at the same time; these additions are not considered to be of special architectural or historic interest.

The site is bounded by a flint wall with curved yellow brick coping. Two pairs of yellow brick gate piers mark the boundary: one pair faces Sharington Road to the north, and another pair stands at the north-east corner where Hall Lane meets Sharington Road.