Building record 2853/0/5 - Kings Cliffe Endowed Primary School, Park Street

A 17th century house with early 19th century alterations located on the eastern side of Park Street. The building is constructed of coursed limestone with Collyweston slate roofs. The school is part single story and part two stories with attics lit by gabled dormer windows. The building has stone mullioned windows with ashlar dressings and is surmounted by two metal ventilators. The house was converted to primary school use in 1873 by Henry Kennedy and enlarged in 1881.

{1} House, now school. C17 and early C19, converted to school 1873 by Henry Kennedy, enlarged as datestone 1881. Squared coursed limestone with ashlar dressings and Collyweston slate roof. Originally 2 ranges forming an L-shape plan. Part single-storey and part 2 storey with attic. West elevation has a C17 three-window range, to centre, with 4-light, ovolo moulded stone mullion, windows. 2-stage buttresses, with ashlar dressings, between windows. Gabled roof with C19 metal ventilator at ridge. Bay to left is also C19 with a 3-light, stone mullion, attic window. Range breaking forward, to left, has datestone 1881 in gable end. 4-light stone mullion window, with transom, in gable end and 2 similar 3-light windows in return wall. Similar late C19 range breaks forward, to right, with a tall 3-light stone mullion window, with 2 transoms, in gable end. Similar single-storey range breaks forward to far right. Stone stacks at ridge and end. South elevation, to right, has two 2- and 4-light stone mullion windows, to first floor; both probably C17. 2, wooden, gabled dormers, also in C17 range. C19 flat roofed extensions breaks forward to left of centre. C19 range breaks forward to left and has a large, stone mullion, window, with transom, in return wall. To the left of this C17 elevation was used for a time as the school masters house. North elevation is mainly late C19 with main entrance to centre. Interior: C17 centre range of west elevation is now hall rising through 2 storeys. Attic retains C17 roof structure and plaster floor. C17 range of south elevation has early/mid C19 staircase with stick balustrade; some rooms have ceiling beams. Attic retains some original roof structure and a plaster floor. Doorway into hall has early C19 reeded surround. The 2 C17 ranges are probably of different builds.

{2} House. 17th and early 19th century. Converted to school 1873 by Henry Kennedy, enlarged as datestone 1881. Originally 2 ranges forming an L-shape plan. Part single-storey and part 2 storey with attic.West elevation has a 17th century three-window range. The elevation is now hall rising through 2 storeys. Attic retains 17th roof structure and plaster floor. 17th century range of south elevation. The two 17th century ranges are probably of two different builds. Late 19th century ranges to left and right. Converted into a school in 1873.

{3} Originally a house consisting of a main range and a wing at right-angles on the south. Both are of the C17th, but of different builds. The range, now gutted, had a room at the north end, roofed as across-wing and having a large stack in the north gable wall. The south part has mullioned windows and a wide stack in the rear wall. The two-storey wing of three cells, has mullioned windows and a C17th roof. A range on the north has an early C19th origin. The house, on becoming a school in 1873, was much altered at a cost of £1,400. The design was by Henry Kennedy. The school was enlarged in 1881, as recorded by a datestone.

{6} Survey of building including phase plans and photographs. The first phase of the building probably dates to post-1570 to c1630 comprising ground, first and second (attic) storeys. The plan provides for a probable hall range at the front (west) and a service range on the south-east corner. Vestiges of a north range survive but the fabric is much truncated. Although later converted to a chimney, the north range may contain the original stair turret.

There is little evidence of alteration/addition in the intervening centuries (apart from an early 19th century fire-grate and Regency-style door case) until the conversion to a school and creation of two new school rooms in 1871. The school was extended in 1881.

{7} Undated photo;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 12/127 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G12 p.67 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1984, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.101 (checked) (Series). SNN77384.

<4> Whellan, 1874, History, Topography & Directory of Northamptonshire, p.696 (unchecked) (Book). SNN1002.

<5> 1872, The Peterborough Advertiser, (unchecked) (Journal). SNN105580.

<6> Prentice, J and Soden, I, 2016, Heritage Asset Statement of Kings Cliffe Endowed School (Report). SNN110934.

<7> Photographs of buildings in King's Cliffe (Photographs). SNN112705.

<8> Historic England, Undated, HALL FARM, KINGS CLIFFE, BF084150 (Archive). SNN114373.

Record last edited

Nov 23 2022 4:21PM