Former Francis Close College Old Practising School

This entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 16 November 2022 to update the name, to change numbers to words and to reformat text to current standards.

CHELTENHAM

SO9423SE

630-1/5/846

ST PAUL'S ROAD (South side)

05/05/72

Former Francis Close College Old Practising School

(Formerly Listed as: ST PAUL'S ROAD Old Practising School)

GV

II*

School, now college. 1854-58. G F Bodley, architect. Stone over brick with steeply-pitched tiled roofs; half-hipped gables, gables, gambrel and mansard roofs; tall stone chimney stacks. Gothic style. Irregular U-plan.

EXTERIOR: single tall storey school room with single bay to gable end and four-bay return; range to rear with two storeys with attics, three first-floor windows, then a further two-storey, single-bay range with attic to gable. School room: gable end has set into it a three-light mullion and transom window with cusped rectangular heads to the lights, Gothic arch above with tile-filled spandrel. Entrance to right return in gabled porch has plank door, then three two-light windows with shaped heads; off-centre projecting stack. Attached behind a taller block with Gothic windows, those to ground floor are four-light mullion and transom windows with quatrefoil type decoration to heads and relieving arches over, inserted entrance at right a plank door in pointed surround; upper stage has three-light cusped window and two two-light straight-headed windows. Straight-headed roof dormers; feature off-centre stack. Further gabled range has two cusped lights to ground floor with buttress between, first floor has two-light window in cusped surround; attic has three-light window with colonnettes between and decorative arches over with impost band. Part to right has mansard roof.

INTERIOR: dogleg staircase with stick balusters and newel posts to right part; otherwise not inspected.

HISTORICAL NOTE: originally designed to link with St Paul's Training College (qv), Swindon Road.