School House and archway is a Grade I listed building in the South Oxfordshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 18 July 1963. House. 2 related planning applications.

School House and archway

WRENN ID
stark-truss-furze
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
South Oxfordshire
Constituency
Henley and Thame MP: Freddie van Mierlo (LD)
Country
England
Date first listed
18 July 1963
Type
House
Address
School House and archway, High Street, Ewelme
OS grid reference
SU 646 913
Coordinates
51.61764, -1.06823
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The School House and archway in Ewelme is a house dating from around 1450, with alterations made in the 18th century. It is constructed of red brick and features an old plain-tile roof with brick stacks. The building is two stories tall and has a two-window range. The central entrance consists of a six-panel door, while to the right is a tripartite sash window. The first floor has a single-pane window in the center and a twelve-pane segmental-headed unhorned sash to the right. A massive lateral stack is located on the left side, and a massive end stack is on the right. The right end gable has a crow-stepped design. The rear of the building features an 18th-century front with two stories and a six-window range, displaying irregular fenestration of sashes. Although the interior has not been inspected, it is likely to be of interest.

To the left is a subsidiary wing that is a single story with an attic, connected by a brick squinch. This wing has a lancet window on the ground floor and a three-light gabled half-dormer above. To the right of the building is a mid-15th-century gateway featuring a Tudor arch, flanked by angled buttresses with embattled coping.

This structure is part of a complex built at the expense of the Earl and Countess of Suffolk. The Countess, Alice Chaucer, was born in Ewelme in 1409, the daughter of Thomas Chaucer, lord of the manor, and granddaughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. She married William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, in 1430, who was created Duke of Suffolk in 1448.

The use of brick in this building is among the earliest in the county.

Local climate

School House and archway 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 75% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 37 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 65% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 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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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • 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
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Nearby listed buildings

  1. God's Place and lobby to Church of St Mary Grade I 30 m
  2. Ewelme Church of England Primary School Grade I 31 m
  3. The Old Pottery Grade II 54 m
  4. Church of St Mary Grade I 55 m
  5. The Cottage Grade II 80 m
  6. Hill House Grade II 81 m
  7. Days Cottage Grade II 85 m
  8. Ford's Farmhouse Grade II 97 m
  9. Church Farmhouse and Attached Railings Grade II 101 m
  10. The Greyhound at Ewelme Public House Grade II 102 m