West Monmouth School

West Monmouth School

A very large school building constructed of hard red brick with stone bands and dressings, topped with Welsh slate and lead roofs. The structure comprises a main block facing south with additional blocks attached to the rear and at the north end, rising to three storeys with a basement.

The main south elevation is designed in the Jacobethan style on an E-plan, featuring a central projecting three-storey porch with wings on either side. The fenestration follows a 2:3:2:3:2 bay pattern, although each section has three windows on the top floor. The basement and top floor windows are two-over-two sashes, whilst the remainder are two-over-four sashes, except for the central windows on the first and second floors which differ from the rest of their storeys. The entrance is reached via a double-to-single stepped staircase with a polished granite plaque on the front face recording the date, architect and other details. The doorway sits within a stone porch featuring cusping in the head and carving above, including the school and Haberdashers Company's arms supported by two goats rampant with the motto "SERVE AND OBEY". Above this is a paired window within a segmental head with central stone mullion. The gables on the outer bays are plain except for pinnacles and stone copings; the central gable is elaborately carved. Octagonal stair-towers are located behind the outer wings on each side. The roofs are plain with tall brick stacks now lacking pots, and the lead roofs on the towers are panelled.

The west wing projects forward of the main front and contains two windows, with a crow-stepped gable to both the front and side. The east wing stretches back from the right-hand stair-tower and continues in the same character, featuring three gables all in the same plane, each with a full-height buttress on its face and paired windows on either side. A crow-stepped gable at the end of the wing has two smaller buttresses on the east face and is blind except for two small windows on the ground floor.

The north elevation displays a paired window under a segmental head on the ground floor, above which is a very large window of four lights and two transoms with each pane also divided into four, clearly indicating its original purpose as an Art Room. This is flanked by two four-over-four windows. The rear courtyard elevations are considerably plainer, with nearly all windows being three-over-twelve sashes with top opening lights, though some are smaller in size. Several small gables appear at eaves level.

The building has been little altered apart from some partitioning and the near-universal addition of false ceilings. The classrooms retain dado vertical boarding. The old Art Room at the north end of the east wing is significantly different in character. The Boardroom, now the Headmaster's Study, is panelled and contains several built-in trophy cabinets. The Hall remains unaltered, featuring a coffered ceiling supported on transverse beams with brackets, dado panelling, and a balcony on large console brackets. A First World War Memorial stained glass window has been added as a later feature. The tower staircases are concrete, and the attic rooms, originally dormitories, remain largely unaltered.