The former Westwood School

The former Westwood School is a secondary school built between 1897 and 1900, designed by Sir Edwin Cooper in the Free Queen Anne Revival style. Relief panels were created by sculptor Henry Charles Fehr. The building is constructed of red brick with extensive stone dressings and red plain-tile roofs.

The plan is symmetrical, comprising a three-storey central hall block with a two-span roof, flanked by three-storey gabled cross-wings. These are linked by lower, set-back mezzanine ranges that house the two main entrances and staircases. Beyond the gabled cross-wings, extending to form the east and west ends of the building, are two-storey classroom ranges set beneath two-span roofs. The internal plan is based on east-west axial corridors serving all floors. Although the principal elevation faces south, the main entrances are positioned on the north elevation at first-floor level, taking advantage of the steep valley side into which the building is situated.

The building was clearly designed to make an impressive statement when viewed from Valley Bridge, one of the main routes into the town. All elevations have brick plinths and stone sill and string courses. Window frames are mostly multi-paned casement or sliding sash. The building features multiple tall, narrow embellished chimney stacks with ventilation grilles. Rainwater goods include hopper heads dated 1899.

The main north elevation features a central three-storey hall block with slightly projecting end bays. The ground floor has four arched windows with stone keys and alternating stone and brick voussoirs. The first floor contains four rectangular windows set in stone with eared architraves and central stone keys, flanked on each side by an identical window. The second floor has four inset rectangular windows with moulded stone architraves, each alternating with an engaged Roman Ionic column with capitals in the form of faces, flanked by a similar window with alternate blocking to the architrave. The aprons to all six windows consist of stone relief panels depicting different groups of figures associated with the arts and sciences, thought to represent (from left to right) the creative arts of poetry and music, astronomy, architecture, engineering, chemistry and natural sciences, and literature. Some figures can be identified, including the astronomer Caroline Herschel and the engineer James Watt. Above is a projecting dentilled cornice and a stone-coped shaped brick parapet, with a further relief panel to each end bay. Attached to either side are narrow, set-back blocks with keyed segmental-headed entrances and five windows to each floor in keyed and eared stone architraves. These blocks link to three-bay three-storey projecting gabled cross-wings with triple windows to ground and first floors, featuring stone and brick flat arches and moulded stone eared architraves respectively. A large Venetian window to the first floors has a moulded stone architrave and extends the full width of the cross-wings, ending in a projecting dentilled cornice. The brick gable above has stone bands. Attached to each cross-wing is a lower two-storey range, largely blind to the ground floor, with six first-floor windows, the central four with shaped heads that rise above the eaves.

The double gables of the right and left returns each have a single rectangular window (boarded to the right) and banded apexes with triple narrow slit windows.

The rear south elevation features a three-storey, eight-bay central block. The ground floor has simply treated fenestration, while the first floor displays tall rectangular windows with stone keyed lintels incorporated into a continuous band. The third floor is faced in stone with eight recessed short windows between short stone pilasters, and a projecting dentilled cornice. Four large roof dormer windows appear to form an attic floor but are actually roof lights for the top-floor classrooms. Set centrally above these is a tall three-stage octagonal lantern with columned upper stages and a domed cap. The attached set-back flanking blocks each contain a segmental-headed entrance with a projecting open porch whose stone pilasters bear carved shields reading 'Boys' and 'Girls'. The entrances are reached across a broad area by brick bridges with segmental arches beneath and side walls with moulded stone copings; the retaining wall has stone copings and is set with railings. The attached cross-wings and two-storey end blocks are detailed similarly to those of the main elevation.

Internally, the original late-19th-century plan form of the school remains largely intact and readable, notwithstanding the insertion of various partitions, suspended ceilings and mezzanine floors.

The ground and second floors retain original corridors with painted brick walls, some parquet flooring and classrooms off to either side. The classrooms have round and segmental-headed entrances with small-paned over-lights. Numerous original panelled and glazed doors and rows of upper rectangular lights light the corridors. Individual classrooms are plainly appointed and mostly retain timber architraves to doors and windows. Some have substantial fire breasts, a few with small camber-headed fireplace openings, and some retain original carpentry. Original timber roof trusses are visible in the second floors of the cross-wings.

The first floor has undergone greater alteration through the insertion of a theatre into the former assembly hall, which nevertheless retains its original timber panelling and one fireplace. There appears to have been little adaptation of the original school spaces to form front-of-house facilities across the remainder of the first floor, although mezzanine floors for costume storage have been inserted.

In the mid-1970s, the principal floor was remodelled to house the Stephen Joseph Theatre-in-the-Round. This is of utilitarian construction using softwood carcassing clad in plywood. The lighting rig is constructed from scaffolding poles hung from the ceiling. The central performance area has three entrances, one shared by the audience, linked by a run-around corridor beneath the raked seating which also provides access to two trap-door entrances behind the seating. The central performance area has no floor traps. The studio theatre at the western end is of similarly utilitarian construction. When in operation, access to the stage wings must have been via the audience. The balcony is not raked and is thought to have been used for lighting rather than audience seating.