Coleg Glan Hafren

Coleg Glan Hafren is a large three-storey school with attics and basement, dating from 1898. The building comprises a main north-south range with its principal entrance at the south end, flanked by a short south-west wing and a longer south-east wing, which together form the entrance front. At the north end of the main range is a north-west wing, with a lower single-storey assembly hall on the north-east side. A single-storey north-south link connects the end of the assembly hall to No 28 The Parade (which was originally part of the school) and also attaches to the south-east wing.

The asymmetrical front elevation is in a free Jacobean style, built in Portland stone ashlar with bands of red Hollington stone and a slate roof behind coped gables on moulded kneelers, with a brick stack left of centre. Deep moulded cornices run between storeys, with a moulded eaves cornice. The entrance sits within an advanced double bay beneath a shaped gable with scrolled kneelers. The three-bay south-west wing to the left, together with the gabled entrance bay, comprised the original front; a six-bay south-east wing was added later to the right.

The entrance bay contains a doorway to the right and a window to the left, both with round-headed openings featuring keystones, half-round Ionic pilasters, and spandrels with scrolled pediments. Double fielded-panel doors on the right have a radial overlight; the window to the left has fixed glazing similar to the doorway overlight. Above these lower-storey openings is a frieze of relief foliage with blank oval panels framed by scrollwork, with the date 1898 in relief at the centre. Cross windows in the middle storey have moulded architraves with scrolled wings, and a heraldic cartouche sits between them. The upper storey contains a five-light stepped window, with the three central lights round-headed above a transom and elaborate relief cresting above.

The outer wings have basements of coursed rock-faced stone with segmental-headed windows and small-pane glazing. The main storeys feature cross windows, though the upper storey lacks mullions, set in moulded architraves enriched by relief strapwork above the ground-floor windows in the south-west wing. The windows incorporate small-pane casements and pivoting lights. A two-light roof dormer under a segmental pediment graces the south-west wing, while the south-east wing has three roof dormers with flat roofs.

The side and rear elevations are of brick. The right gable end of the south-east wing has added escape stairs. The left gable end of the south-west wing features Portland stone banding and a two-light mullioned attic opening. The rear of the south-west wing is two-window with small-pane sashes below hopper lights and a pilaster between the windows. The west side wall of the main north-south range displays a six-window elevation with similar windows and pilasters, with stair windows set back from the right end. To the left (north) of the stair windows the elevation rises higher. The north-west wing has a three-window south elevation and a four-window north elevation with pale stone sill bands. The north elevation features windows under segmental heads, comprising sashes with hopper lights in wooden mullions and transoms in the lower two storeys and casements below the eaves in the upper storey. Stair windows are positioned at a different level on the left side; to the right of these are narrow windows in the lower two storeys and a three-light upper-storey window. Right of centre is an advanced gabled bay with plain pilasters, cross windows in the lower two storeys, and a three-light window in the upper storey under an elliptical head, carried above the boarded eaves under a gable. Similar cross windows with a three-light upper-storey window appear on the right side. Set back on the left side is the north end of the north-south range, with replaced double doors and overlight, a cross window in the middle storey, and a three-light upper-storey window.

The five-bay assembly hall projects forward on the left (east) side, built of brick with pale stone bands and a moulded eaves cornice, on a high rock-faced plinth with slightly battered clasping buttresses. In the north elevation, the plinth has double panelled doors at the centre. Above, four bays contain small-pane four-light windows incorporating round tracery panels under segmental heads with fluted keystones. The fifth bay to the right has pilasters carried up above the eaves under a segmental pediment with finial, and a four-light window set at a higher level than the remainder, lighting an internal gallery. Below it is a similar four-light window with simpler tracery. A wide flat-roofed dormer sits at the centre. The east gable end has pilasters at the angles and framing the central window, each crowned by a segmental pediment, with a deep moulded stone cornice continuous with the eaves of the side walls. The centre features a six-light window with round-headed lights and two transoms, flanked by two-light windows with round-headed lights, all under pediments. Within a Dutch gable with an open segmental pediment is a two-light window with round-headed light and relief cresting above. The plain south side of the hall has an added common room.

The four-window north elevation of the south-east wing contains small-pane windows incorporating casements and pivoting lights under concrete lintels, with rainwater heads dated 1955. Two flat-roof dormers occupy the centre. On the right side is a similar four-window projection built against the east side of the main north-south range, with three flat-roof dormers. The linking wing between the assembly hall and south-east wing has a brick wall facing west, but rock-faced stone in its east elevation facing the garden of No 28. It has five casement windows and two basement windows lower right, with a doorway on the left side; the window left of centre has a segmental gable above the eaves.

Interior features include open-well stairs in the south-west and north-west wings with simple iron balusters and wooden hand rails. The well-detailed assembly hall has a five-bay roof with tie-beams on corbelled brackets, crown and queen posts, with the ceiling boarded at collar-beam level. The walls are panelled with fluted pilasters below sill level, and the south wall has blind arches corresponding to the north windows. A gallery with a panelled front sits at the west end.