West Block and Chapel at St Bernard's Convent

West Block and Chapel at St Bernard's Convent

House and chapel, now convent school and chapel. The house dates from circa 1850, with the chapel added to the west after 1869 by architect Alfred Waterhouse in Neo-Gothic style.

House

The house is constructed of gault brick with Bath stone ashlar dressings and a hipped slate roof. It comprises three storeys and a basement arranged in six bays. The roof features truncated end stacks, deep eaves cornice with carved brackets and paterae on the soffit.

Windows are sashes without glazing bars, with gauged brick heads throughout. Ground and first floor windows have blind hoods. The second floor has small windows with carved cill brackets, cill railings and flanking Corinthian half columns. First floor windows feature carved cill brackets, cill balustrading and flanking Corinthian half columns supporting a pulvinated frieze, dentil cornice and triangular pediment. Two canted bays at ground floor level have the frieze and cornice carried round with a parapet above. Two inner windows flank the central entrance.

The entrance front features two central one-panelled doors with side lights, a dentil cornice and three-light rectangular overlight. These are approached by three steps to a Greek Doric porch with single columns to the rear and coupled columns to the front. The porch supports a triglyph frieze with guttae and egg and dart mouldings, dentil cornice, and balustraded parapet with rusticated square corner piers. The porch soffit contains egg and dart mouldings. The basement balustrade consists of Greek Doric colonettes.

The north front is similar to the entrance front but features three ground floor canted bays. The entrance here is off-centre to the left, comprising a four-panelled door with top two panels glazed and a blank semicircular fanlight with carved swags in the spandrels. The stone doorcase has an architrave, imposts with fluted frieze, and two horizontally divided fluted pilasters with acanthus capitals supporting a half architrave, carved frieze and cornice. Ground floor features an egg and dart moulded frieze and dentil cornice.

Interior features include a richly panelled plaster ceiling in the entrance hall, a bifurcating three-flight staircase with wrought iron balustrade, and a three-bay arched Corinthian arcade to the north. The landing has a three-bay arched Ionic arcade. Detailing throughout is well executed, including panelled doors, doorcases, cornices, plaster ceilings and fireplaces.

Chapel

The chapel is constructed of gault brick with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. It follows a north-south axis with nave and chancel under one roof, a lower south end, a west aisle with three cross gables, a south-west gabled porch and a north-west vestry. Gabled parapeted ends and a gabled south bellcote complete the exterior.

The south end features a large west window comprising stepped triple trefoiled lancets under a large arch with returned hoodmould. A porch to the left has a shafted and moulded arch, two boarded doors and a hoodmould. A square-headed window to the west contains two trefoil-headed lights with plate tracery and continuous hoodmould. The vestry and chancel have one lancet to the west.

The north end has stepped triple lancets with continuous hoodmould and a cill string with carved stops.

The chapel interior contains a three-bay west aisle arcade.

History

Originally known as Aldin House when built, the building became St Michael's School in 1869. Two notable pupils were Sir Paul Waterhouse, who later became president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Stanley Baldwin, who served as Prime Minister. The school relocated in 1883. The building subsequently became a Jesuit College for eight years before being established as St Bernard's Convent in 1897.

The quality of detailing throughout is notable for a building of this date.