Kings School House

GLOUCESTER

SO8318NW CATHEDRAL PRECINCTS 844-1/8/49 King's School House 23/01/52

GV II

Formerly known as: Cathedral House CATHEDRAL PRECINCTS. Independent school house, part of the King's School; the larger portion used as the headmaster's residence, the former service wing now a flat. 1500. Incorporates a small house built c1590 for William Blackleech, Chancellor to the Bishop of Gloucester; enlarged in 1623 for Archdeacon Abraham Blackleech, further enlarged and refronted in late C18; a school house since c1920. MATERIALS: encapsulated timber frame, ashlar, brick, shallow pitched slate roof and a stuccoed wing with tiled roof, brick gable-end stacks. PLAN: a long range facing garden on east side with lower wing attached at left-hand end extending to the rear. EXTERIOR: three-storey range and two-storey wing. The range has a long symmetrical front of seven bays faced in ashlar, including a slightly projecting and wider central bay; offset plinth, boxed eaves on brackets; on the ground floor in the central bay the entrance doorway with side-lights, segmental fanlight with bars, and fielded six-panel door, in a timber frame recessed within a segmental arched opening framed by reeded pilasters and entablature with a raised panel in the centre of the frieze and above the cornice; on each side three sashes, on the first floor seven similar sashes, and on the second floor seven shorter sashes, all with glazing bars (3x4 panes and 3x2 panes on the second floor), and in openings with projecting stone sills. The wing to left stuccoed, on the front two sashes on each floor with glazing bars (3x4 panes); similar sashes on the left side and at rear. INTERIOR: the headmaster's residence not inspected but believed to contain exposed C16 framing, and on the first floor a room with an early C17 stone chimney-piece of two tiers of Corinthian columns with entablatures, and early C17 panelling. In the wing exposed beams. HISTORY: this building was formerly assigned as the cathedral prebendal house for the prebend of the fifth stall, who was from 1718 'ex officio' the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. (Welander D: The History, Art and Architecture of Gloucester Cathedral: Stroud, Gloucestershire: 1991-; BOE: Verey D: Gloucestershire: The Vale and the Forest of Dean: London: 1976-: 226).

Listing NGR: SO8317118722