Former School And Chapel

The former school and chapel, now a house, was built in 1856, likely designed by John Ruskin for Charles Woodd in memory of his wife Lydia Wilson Woodd. The building features coursed limestone and gritstone blocks arranged in contrasting bands, topped with a graduated stone slate roof. It is a rectangular single-storey structure with three windows on the south side and an entrance bay on the east end.

The east end showcases a massive round arch with two orders, complete with imposts and drip moulding, creating a full-height porch. Inside, there is a shouldered-arched double door made of boards, equipped with large strap hinges adorned with elaborate leaf motifs. Attached columns flank the arch, featuring contrasting coloured voussoirs, while the tympanum below displays a chi-rho symbol in relief along with the inscription: "LYDIA WILSON WOODD AT PAU 16 JUNE 1856 AGED 32".

On the south side, the three windows consist of paired round-headed lights supported by colonettes. To the right, there is a bellcot with a corbelled cover. The building also has moulded stone guttering on plain brackets, shaped kneelers, and gable coping topped with cross finials. The west end features a three-light window similar to those on the south front, along with a circular plaque displaying a four-petal motif on the gable.

The south and east walls are decorated with fossiliferous marble plaques in diamond, shield, and circular shapes. The interior was not inspected during the resurvey. This building was constructed after the publication of Ruskin's "The Stones of Venice" in 1851 and 1853. Ruskin frequently visited northern England in the late 1850s and was acquainted with the Woodd family of Oughtershaw Hall. The family archives contain letters from Ruskin about the school. In "The Stones of Venice," Ruskin emphasized the horizontal layering of masonry and its geological connections, advocating for bold chamfers and outlines, along with deep recessed openings, all of which are evident in the school at Oughtershaw.