Listed Building: Ashton Chapel and attached School Room and School House (18/2)

Chapel, school room and school house. C.1706 for Creed family trust. Extended and restored C19. Squared coursed limestone with Welsh slate roof. Originally single unit chapel and school room, with house, now forming an irregular L-shape range. 2-storey house and school room and single story-chapel. West elevation of chapel is the gable end of the range. Central, 6 panel, Gothick style door has arch head with some fielded panelling. Plain stone surround with a square outer surround consisting of 3-shaft cluster, the bases of which may be reused medieval masonry. 3-light, stone mullion window, above, has semi-circular head and arch-head lights. Flanking scroll decoration. 2-stage clasping buttresses at corners. Flight of 2 steps to door. Chamfered plinth and ashlar gable parapets and kneelers. Bellcote at apex of gable has weathervane dated 1706. South elevation is a 4-window range of 2-light arch-head windows with arch-head lights. Chamfered plinth and coved cornice. North elevation is a similar 3-window range with C19 lean-to of school house attached to left. East elevation of chapel was the school room. Central, 2-light, stone mullion window to ground floor. Tall, 2-light, window to first floor has arch-head lights and a 2-centred arch head, with cusping. Both windows have leaded diamond panes, some with original glass. C20 plank door to left has blank arch head. 2-stage clasping buttresses at corners. Chamfered plinth. Ashlar gable parapets and kneelers with finial blocks at mid points of parapets. Finial cross at apex. School house, attached to right, has lean-to roof. C19 casement window under wood lintel, at ground floor, and single-light arch-head window above, with stone surround. Lateral ashlar stack with moulded cornice. Single-storey building, attached at right angles, is similar, with a lean-to roof. South elevation of school house has central 4-panel door, with glazed toplights, under wood lintel. Arch-head window above, with stone surround. Interior of chapel: plain barrel vault plaster ceiling with 3 exposed tie beams. Panelled reredos to north wall has reeded pilasters supporting a triangular pediment. Centre fielded panel has painted inscription by Mrs. Elizabeth Creed, with the Ten Commandments. Flanking, 2-panelled, doors have oval panels above. Some windows have fragments of original glass. 2 wooden panels with painted inscriptions on west wall describing the charitable works of the Creed family. Small hatchments above each panel. Oval portrait of Miss Jemima Creed on west wall. Interior of school room/house not inspected, but ground floor room of house noted as having arch head corner cupboard with panelled doors. A chapel is recorded in 1189 of which no traces remain. John and Elizabeth Creed and their children, Richard, Jemima and John were responsible for the provision of the present chapel and school. The school room was originally at the east end of the chapel with the school house above: this was extended mid C19 (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire p94; RCHM: An Inventory of Architectural Monuments in North Northamptonshire: p16)

Record last edited

Oct 1 2021 2:12PM