Description

BUCKLAND MONACHORUM BUCKLAND MONACHORUM
SX 46 NE
3/80 The Old School and School-house
21.3.67

GV II

3 houses, originally school. Dated 1702, altered later in C18 and in C20 which was
probably when the school was converted to a house. Rubble walls with granite
dressings. Slate roof hipped at front and gabled at rear. 3 rubble stacks: one
lateral projecting from the left-hand side, one axial and one at the rear gable end.
A deep rectangular plan likely originally to have been one long school room on the
ground floor heated by a lateral stack on the left-hand side, probably also heating
the room above which was reached by a newel stairs in a projection at the rear on the
right side. The groundfloor was divided into 2 rooms later in the C18 to create a
schoolhouse at the rear of the school. In the C20 the school was subdivided into 2
cottages, the larger at the front. The right side of the building is against the
churchyard.
2 storeys. The main front addition written at end of this report has symmetrical 3
window hipped facade with central single storey porch. On 1st floor the outer 2
windows are tall 2-light granite mullions with transoms and roundheaded lights with
recessed spandrels - extremely archaic style for the date. At the centre is a tall
C20 casement window with segmental arched head. The ground floor windows to left
and right are identical to those above but smaller and without the transoms. The
central gabled porch has a 4-centre stone arched doorway moulded, with recessed
spandrels, also very archaic for the date; inscribed on a slate plaque above is
"Endowed by Lady Modiford in 1702 repaired and re-endowned by Sir Masseh Lopes 1830;
small granite cross on the gable above the porch. At either corner of the front is
a diagonal buttress. The left-hand side of the building has C19 6-pane sashes to
the right either side of the lateral stack. To the left-hand side is the school
house which has 2 early-mid C20 casements with diamond leaded panes; the ground
floor left-hand window is in a chamfered stone frame. The right-hand window re-uses
a mullion lintel. Between them is 4-centred stone arched doorway. Between the
ground and 1st floors is a row of what appear to be curved stone corbels - possibly
these are the only surviving evidence of some form of 1st floor gallery. At the
right side of the school house to the left on the 1st floor is a single chamfered
roundheaded light with recessed spandrels. Below it and to the right is a small 4-
centred arched granite doorway. To its right is a rectangular stair projection with
a square-headed granite window.
Interior: of school has a 4-centred granite arched doorway with roll moulding inside
the porch. The main room has a granite framed fireplace with basket arch, double
roll moulding and recessed spandrels at the top of each side wall is a corbel table
of dressed granite supporting a plain wooden beam the purpose of which is unclear.
At the back of the original school is a granite 4-centred arched doorway which led
into the school house.
The original features of this building - both internal and external - are of a
surprisingly archaic style for the date of the endownment and it is possible either
that the building is an earlier one or that there features have been reused from an
earlier buildings. It is noticeable however that public buildings in Devon of the
C17 are often in an arhaic style as for example the Grammar School at Plympton.

Listing NGR: SX4898568364

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26399415

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)