Milton Abbey School

MILTON ABBAS ST 7902 MILTON ABBEY

12/138 Milton Abbey School 26-6-53 GV I

Country house, used as public school. Built 1771-76 for Joseph Dames, architects Sir W Chambers and J Wyatt. Replacing domestic buildings of abbey except for Hall (item 137). Mainly ashlar stone walls, slate and lead roofs, with parapets. Ashlar stacks, some designed as pinnacles. Quadrangular plan. The Hall (q.v.) forming south range. Part 2-storeyed, part 3-storeyed. In early Gothic Revival style. Entrance (north) front has projecting towers each end and central porch tower. Porch has 4-centred arch leading to courtyard, in square frame, with shields in spandrels, flanked by pilasters. Each side of this a 3-sided canted bay, the whole rising to 3 storeys. Pierced parapet with quatrefoils and moulded cornice. Moulded string courses at each floor level. On second floor, in centre, a sash with Gothic glazing. In each bay, 3 oval openings - those in centre with windows - others blank. On first floor, a 4-centred arched sash with glazing bars in centre. In each bay a 4-centred arched opening,those in centre with sashes with glazing bars - others blank. On ground floor, a 4-centred arched sash with glazing bars in centre of each bay. Between the porch and end towers, 2-storeyed ranges, with battlemented parapets. On each side, each floor has three 4-centred arched sashes with glazing bars. End towers, of 3 storeys have octagonal corner buttresses carried up as pinnacles. Pierced parapets with quatrefoils on second floor each tower has a square window flanked by a circular window each side - all with glazing bars. On ground and first floors each tower has three 4-centred arched sashes with glazing bars - the centre window larger. Label moulds to outer windows. All windows have moulded surrounds. Archway to courtyard has heavy timber doors. Gothic style plaster vault. East wall of flint and stone banding. C19 service wing at south-east corner, of flint and stone banding with slate roof. C20 wing at north-east - of no particular interest. Internally, main rooms in west range have fine original joinery and plasterwork, in classical style. Similar, simpler detail in rooms of north range. Stone cantilever stair with ornamental iron balusters - East range damaged by fire 1956 - has no original interior features. Interesting early Gothic Revival design. RCHM. Monument 4. (Dorset. Vol.III)

Listing NGR: ST7989702385