School House At Sedbergh School

The School House at Sedbergh School is a boarding house built in 1878 by the architectural firm Paley & Austin. It has been slightly enlarged and altered since its original construction. The building is made of coursed sandstone rubble and features a slate roof. It has an irregular H-plan layout, with a main range oriented east-west and short projecting wings to the east and west, the latter of which includes a gabled cross-wing at its southern end. A tower is located at the north-east corner, and the overall style is a subdued Jacobean.

The exterior stands two-and-a-half storeys tall and has a six-window main range. It includes two buttresses, one of which extends up to a chimney, and a string-course above the ground floor. The first bay features 9-light mullion-and-transom windows on both floors, while the second bay has a similar window on the ground floor and a 2-light mullion window above. The other bays contain cross-windows on the ground floor and 2-light windows on the first floor. Gabled dormers are present in the roof. Both wings are styled similarly but have less regular window arrangements, including multiple-light mullioned windows in the gables, and they feature coped gables with kneelers.

The south end of the west return of the west wing is particularly striking, consisting of three gabled two-window bays. The central bay has a half-dormer gable, while the right bay projects forward as a short wing, featuring a large canted bay window in the first bay and a prominent five-sided bay window in the third bay. The ground floor has cross-window fenestration, and the first floor has 2-light mullioned windows, with each bay topped by a 4-light mullioned window. The gables are finished with coping and kneelers, although the fenestration further north is less regular.

The tower at the north-east corner is square and rises one stage above the eaves. It features a louvred 1-light belfry window on each side, each with a hoodmould, a coped parapet, and a pyramidal roof topped with a weathervane. Inside, the building includes fireplaces and a staircase that match the exterior style, along with a datestone inscribed with the year 1878.