Listed Building: Our Lady's Convent Preparatory School (1051646)

Former preparatory school, built as a private house. Early C20th. Probably by A. Bamford for a Mr. Berrill. Red brick ground floor and wide corner pilasters and pebbledash first floor. Wide elaborate modillion eaves cornice and hipped plain tile roof. L plan. Carolean or Artisan Mannerist style with wooden or stone mullion and transom windows with fine leaded lights. 2 storeys and attics. Main front of house faces rear towards the garden. The entrance front towards the lane has the wing projecting on left. In section to right the entrance door has flat hood and 2-light casements either side and a large 5-light window over. Further stone windows to left and on left return, and on the front of the wing a window on the first floor over a door and blocked window. 3 2-light casement dormers with curved roofs on main range and another on the wing. Right side has further windows and a dormer above and left side has a triple window at first floor over sashes and 2 dormers over. Garden front is a symmetrical design of 6 windows at first floor over a polygonal bay either side of a central stone doorcase with stone window either side. 4 roof dormers, the outer of 2 lights with curved roofs, the inner of 3 lights with flat and pedimented roofs. INTERIOR. The entrance door leads to entrance hall with stone chequer floor from which leads an fine oak open-well staircase with column-on-vase balusters and massive column newels. Curving steps lead down under to cloaks which has black and white mini-chequer floor and some original tiling. The entrance hall leads to a study on right with a c.1700 style fireplace and then down to the lounge hall which has a stone bolection fireplace. Original doors lead to the reception rooms which also have original fireplaces and to the service corridor. Bedrooms have original doors and fireplaces with cast-iron grates and one has become a second attic stair in addition to the back stairs. This house is a fine quality essay in the Carolean style with little alteration to the interior which is carefully designed and has high quality fittings including excellent leaded-light windows. The house was mentioned by Pevsner in 1961 where it was mistakenly attributed to Gotch (q.v. Bryn Hafod, the Convent next door, with which Middlewest forms a group) but he specifically described this house. The classroom extension to north of c.1973 is not of special architectural interest.

Record last edited

May 26 2022 1:10PM