Hawarden High School, original, central block with contemporary wings and including 1905 additions

Established under the Welsh Intermediate Education Act of 1889, the former Hawarden County School opened in 1898 as the fifth of its kind in Flintshire, alongside schools in Rhyl, St. Asaph, Mold, and Holywell. Designed by Grayson and Ould of Liverpool and built by W. and T. Bailey of Hawarden at a cost of £2,450, the school originally accommodated 54 boys and 44 girls. An amendment to the Act in 1905 necessitated boarding accommodation, leading to additions to the west dated to that year.

The central block, now a library, presents a show-piece facade in a restrained Tudor style. It is constructed of Ruabon brick with terracotta detailing and comprises three symmetrically arranged, single-storey gabled sections, all beneath a steep-pitched tiled roof with plain eaves and end chimneys. The central gable features a coped and finialed design, incorporating a fine heraldic plaque with a returned label. A lead cupola topped with a tiled fleche and wooden ball finial is prominent. The main facade has a large 3x9-light mullioned and transomed window, divided by two blind vertical sections. Ovolo-moulded jambs support arched-headed lights across the centre. Flanking this are 6-light mullioned and transomed windows with arched-headed lights, flanked by buttresses, with decorative fleur-de-lis gablets on the end buttresses. L-shaped wings extend from the main block, featuring advanced, tile-coped gables and paired 6-light windows. Connecting recessed bays have 3-light windows, with a stack mirroring that on the main facade, to the right. A parapetted porch with a pointed-arched entrance and returned label is set back to the left of the main block. A contemporary series of plain gabled ranges to the south (rear) form a rough E-plan, featuring simply moulded chimneys and large 6-12-light windows.

To the right of the library block, stepped down, is a flat-roofed, single-storey connecting range with 3-light arched-headed windows. Adjoining and stepped back further is a 5-bay, single-storey block, with three plain buttresses to the first and second bays from the left. The windows are 2 and 3-light, arched-headed designs. Entrances are located in bays 1 and 4; the latter has a lugged surround, ovolo moulding, and stopped detail. The date 1905 is raised on the lintel above a 6-panelled door. A plain string course and an off-centre stack run along the block to the east.