Old Latin School

The Old Latin School is a former chantry chapel, later used as a school, rebuilt in 1475. It incorporates a Norman doorway and was re-roofed in the late 18th century. It was subsequently restored by G. Gilbert Scott in 1857 and 1875. The building is constructed of uncoursed limestone rubble with limestone dressings and a plain-tile roof. It is rectangular in plan.

The Norman doorway is located near the middle of the left side and has one order of shafts with leaf capitals, imposts with palmette-in-zigzag ornament. The inner arch has shallow pointed-arched arcading and chevron ornament on the outer arch, and a hoodmould. A circular sexfoiled window is set high in the wall above the doorway. To the left of the doorway are two 2-light windows, one above the other, with trefoil-headed lights and straight hoods. A 2-light Perpendicular window is positioned to the right, also with trefoil-headed lights and a hoodmould. The right side of the building is largely hidden by an adjacent structure and features two sexfoiled circular windows at a high level. The gable end facing Market Hill has a four-light window divided into two by sub-arches separated by a small encircled quatrefoil to head, with foiled Y-tracery and trefoils above pointed, trefoil-headed lights with pierced spandrels. It has a hollow-chamfered surround and hoodmould. The stone-coped gable includes kneelers and a 19th-century gabled bell-cote at the apex.

Inside, the principal window to the gable end has a deep splay and a hollow-champered head integrated into the wall. The end truss of the four-bay roof features a heavily moulded tie beam with a central camber to accommodate the window and arch, and arch-braced collar. The remaining trusses are of 18th-century design, except for the one at the opposite end which employs queen struts and a collar. A piscina is present with a moulded surround and a cusped basket-arched head. Panelled dado runs around the interior, and a gallery is situated at the inner end, featuring serpentine splat balusters to the rail. There are six former pew ends from the old parish church positioned at either end of the gallery and at regular intervals; these pew ends have poppy heads. One is inscribed “THOMAS/ GROVE/ GENT.” Another is dated 1626, and a third bears the inscription “ANNO/ 1652” with “AG” in a heart to the back, along with arms to the heads.

Historically, it was the chantry chapel of St John the Baptist, endowed in the early 13th century by Archdeacon Matthew de Stratton. It belonged to the Hospital of St John Acon in London and possibly served the Hospital of St John the Baptist in Buckingham. The chantry was dissolved during the reign of Edward VI and subsequently known from around 1540 as the Royal Latin School. The building is now owned by the National Trust.