Ardwyn Nursery and Infant School

Ardwyn Nursery and Infant School is an unusual building, constructed in the 20th century. It features a distinctive "cellular" or "island" layout consisting of five classrooms arranged as separate blocks, each with its own cloakroom facilities. These blocks are connected to a central assembly hall by corridors and covered walkways.

The school is situated on a steeply sloping site facing South. The hall, along with its kitchens and service rooms, forms a central block set back and running parallel to the slope. This is linked by a covered walkway to the symmetrically planned classroom blocks on either side. Two corridors extend down the slope to either side of a central classroom, connecting with two further classrooms at the lower end of the site. The building is constructed of buff brick and concrete, with steeply pitched green tile roofs.

Each classroom has a continuous line of windows along its South-facing elevation, recessed and with a bold, raking eave. These windows are fitted with metal glazing bars. Each classroom block is flanked by a storage room and cloakroom block, which are expressed externally by their flat roofs and, in the lower classrooms, continue the flat-roofed corridors towards the rear. The upper classrooms feature French windows, while the lower and central classrooms have tall concertina-folding windows. Each block has its independent entrance directly into the cloakroom; there is no main entrance to the school itself. Smaller windows are placed high up in the service blocks and corridors. The central classroom mirrors this detailing, with cloakrooms and offices on the outer sides of its flanking corridors, and paired glazed-brick windows providing light to the corridors, which are flanked by the recessed main window. The upper classrooms have continuous fenestration in their upper elevations. Smaller windows are located to either side of the rear chimney in the central classroom, and roof lights are positioned above the corridors in the lower classrooms, providing through-lighting and ventilation to each block. The hall receives light primarily from the rear, with the roof projecting slightly over five windows containing pivoting openings. Paired exterior doors on the South elevation open onto the covered walkway, with three windows positioned between them.

Internally, the school is simply detailed, with rooms characterized by large expanses of windows. A distinctive aspect of the design is the arrangement of cloakroom facilities that are built into each classroom block.