The Old School House is a Grade II listed building in the North Northamptonshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 29 January 1987. School. 2 related planning applications.
The Old School House
- WRENN ID
- worn-glass-summer
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- North Northamptonshire
- Constituency
- Kettering MP: Rosie Wrighting (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 29 January 1987
- Type
- School
- Address
- The Old School House, 9, Main Street, Ashley, LE16 8HF
- OS grid reference
- SP 794 909
- Coordinates
- 52.51082, -0.83066
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Old School House is a Grade II listed building located on Ashley Main Street. It was constructed as a school in 1858 and an attached masters house in 1865, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott for Reverend R. Pulteney. The building is made of limestone ashlar and features a slate roof laid in diminishing courses, with an L-shaped plan where the two arms are only linked at the inside corners.
The school section has a two-window range consisting of two pairs of two-light stone mullion windows set under segmental arch recesses. A central gabled porch contains two arched doors with a decorative roundel above. The exterior includes decorative cast iron gutters, ashlar gable parapets, kneelers, and ashlar stacks with cusped decoration on the copings. The gables on the left and right sides feature pairs of tall, two-light stone mullion windows with transoms beneath blank painted arch heads that have cusping, shafts, and foliated capitals. Each gable has a rectangular plaque inscribed with the word "schools."
The masters house, attached at a right angle to the right of the school, has a three-window range with two- and three-light stone mullion windows. The central bay projects forward to form a gabled porch, and the first-floor windows on either side have small gables above them. The central 19th-century plank door is adorned with decorative strap hinges and a moulded stone surround. There is a raised band between the floors, and all windows feature leaded diamond panes. The masters house also has cast iron gutters and rainwater heads, along with ashlar gable parapets, kneelers, and stacks similar to those of the school. A polygonal stair turret is located at the rear.
Inside the school, there are two moulded stone fireplaces designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The building was originally used as a Sunday School.
Local climate
The Old School House sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 77% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 81% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 37 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 66% of listed buildings. Of these, 18 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- Sale history — 1 transaction since 2003
- Related listed building consents — 2 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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