Adult Education Centre And Library Including Attached Wall And Gatepiers

TQ 92 SW 776/1/10017 18-MAY-01

RYE LION STREET Adult Education Centre and Library, including attached wall and gatepiers

GV II

Former Board School, now library and Adult Education Centre. Built in 1874, following the Education Act of 1870, on land given by the Meryon family. Gothic style with some polychrome decoration. Built of stock brick with red brick dressings and tiled roof with terracotta ridge tiles. One storey ranges forming an L-shape with seven former classrooms. Part fronting Lion Street has entrance front to south which has corbelled eaves cornice and four paired cambered pivoting casements and projecting gabled porch with arched doorcase and oculus at sides with dripmould and corbels. Buttresses divide the windows. Plinth. Central gabled porch with arched doorcase and saddlestone above with decorated floral finial and oculi with stone quatrefoils in the sides. East end has a gable end to street with giant arch with zigzag polychromic decoration containing a circular window above with glazing in the form of an 8-pointed star and two pointed arches below with central pilaster decorated with the Rye Coat of Arms. This is flanked by two trefoliated-headed niches with dedication tablets reading "Public Elementary Schools of Rye erected 1873" to the left and "On a site presented to the Town by the Meryon family" to the right. Attached to left is short section of wall with triangular brick coping incorporating three gatepiers with pyramidal stone caps with quatrefoil decoration and metal finials. Next adjoining section has hipped tiled roof with seven windows, including three under central pediment with oculus above. Small flat-roofed section to west is probably a later addition. To the north west is a further one storey former classroom in similar style but with flat-arched windows divided by buttresses and a flat roofed wooden and brick c1960 porch. L-wing to south west has crested ridge tiles and the lead base of a spirelet. There are six cambered casements and a pediment with stone oculus with 8-pointed star and metal finials and large porch below with arched doorcase with later C20 doors. To south is an attached smaller room, gable-fronted with oculus with eight-pointed star and cambered windows. The interiors have suspended ceilings concealing original roof structures but original floorboards.

Listing NGR: TQ9208920333