Roath Park Primary School

Roath Park Primary School is a 2-storey school building in Queen-Anne style, constructed in brick with terracotta and red Carlisle stone detailing. It features a renewed slate roof behind coped terracotta gables and four panelled brick ridge stacks.

The north elevation facing Penywain Road comprises 5 main bays with central and outer gabled projections. The outer gabled bays project slightly further forward than the central bay. Windows are taller on the lower storey, mostly with cambered heads, wooden mullions and transoms, and small-pane glazing incorporating casements below pivoting lights. Sill bands and a string course run over the ground-floor windows.

The 3-window central bay contains 2-light outer windows and a 3-light central window. In the upper storey, the central window has a round-headed tympanum framing a small-pane window beneath a cornice, with scrolled stucco wings on either side. Upper-storey windows are flanked by fluted key blocks below pilasters. Two relief inscription bands in Carlisle stone commemorate the school's erection by the Cardiff School Board. The outer pilasters are crowned by pinnacles and frame a moulded cornice over the lower inscription band. The apex has pediment treatment over a dated relief inscription in terracotta.

The four-window bays to right and left of centre have narrow single-light windows. In the upper storey, moulded keystones carry pilasters framing two round-headed dormer windows with pivoting lights, blank tympana, and keys carrying shafts to the apex of each gable, which have brick finials. The outer two-window gabled bays contain 3-light windows slightly recessed between broad pilasters. Round-headed upper-storey windows have glazed tympana similar to the central bay. Pilasters standing on keystones frame narrow vents, each with a further pilaster carried up as a pinnacle.

The right (west) side wall has windows and doors replaced in original openings. The upper storey has a thin moulded sill band, while the lower storey has a thin moulded string course above openings. A tall window in each storey is positioned centrally; the upper-storey window is within an architrave and carried up above the eaves under a simple pediment. To the right of centre, both storeys have small windows, and the entrance to the original boys' school is positioned lower right. The round-headed doorway is enriched by a fluted key block, pilasters, and an entablature with 'boys' in relief terracotta.

The rear (south) elevation is plainer and nearly symmetrical, with gabled outer bays and deeply recessed bays, and a double-pitched rear wing to the centre. Most windows are replaced in original openings. From the left, the outer gabled bay has a single replaced upper-storey window, below which a single-storey assembly hall was added in 1975. To its right, the recessed bay has 2 small-pane windows in the upper storey and a flat-roofed projection added below. The rear wing has in its left-hand gable a large window lower right with 2 narrow windows above it, and an inserted window lower left. The wider right-hand gable is 4 windows wide and contains an octagonal wooden bellcote with cusped openings in each facet and a lead-covered pyramidal roof with finial. In the recessed bay on the right side of the rear wing is the entrance to the original girls' school. A relief inscription in Carlisle stone is above the replaced door, which has small flanking windows and a wide segmental-headed overlight with pivoting windows. Above it is a balcony with moulded coping to a brick parapet, to which escape stairs have been added. In the upper storey is a small-pane window to the left and a boarded door with overlight to the right. The right-hand gabled bay retains 2-light small-pane windows.

The left (east) side wall has banding similar to the right side wall and a projecting central bay. This bay has a replaced door under an original segmental overlight, 2 tall narrow upper-storey small-pane windows carried above the eaves under a simple pediment, and an added external stack on its right side. To the left of the central bay the eaves level is higher. Immediately to the left is a cross window in each storey, with 2 further replaced windows to the left.

The lower storey was the girls' school and is planned around a long and unusually wide central corridor giving access to classrooms, which also served as a single school room or assembly hall. The corridor has boarded wainscot and retains 2 segmental-headed fireplaces enclosed within cupboards. Classroom doorways have half-lit panelled doors with large small-pane overlights incorporating hopper windows. The classrooms have interconnecting doorways and retain some fireplaces with moulded surrounds. The wing on the south side of the corridor is altered to accommodate cloak rooms and indoor toilets. Offices are at the east end.

From the boys' entrance at the west end is a dog-leg stair with glazed tile dado. The upper storey has similar plan and detail to the lower storey. Classrooms at the east and west ends have 3-bay arched-brace roofs on stone corbels, although temporary ceilings are inserted below collar beam level.