Connaught Centre (Former Connaught Road School), Including Carpenters' Workshop, Brighton and Hove, The City of Brighton and Hove

Description

HOVE

579-1/0/10015 CONNAUGHT ROAD
07-OCT-09 Connaught Centre (former Connaught Roa
d School), including carpenters' works
hop

II
Primary school, originally Connaught Road School. Built 1884 by the Hove School Board to the design of Thomas Simpson. Builder John T Chappell. Extended c1920 and late C20.

MATERIALS: Yellow brick laid in English bond; red brick dressings and some rubbed-brickwork. Embellishments are carried out in terracotta-coloured cement rendering, including moulded string courses, cornices, pilasters and window aprons. Clay tile roof with decorative cresting.

PLAN: Long symmetrical rectangular block of 2 storeys, aligned N-S, with cross-wings to either end and to centre; the central cross-wing being narrower and forming the main entrance. Early example of a corridor plan, comprising a longitudinal corridor on each floor, with classrooms arranged along the W side and in the cross wings to either end, and ancillary rooms on the E side with a stair compartment at each end abutting the cross wing. There are small rooms at mezzanine level, leading off both staircases. Originally, the infants school was on the ground floor and the junior school on the first floor (boys at the north end and the girls at the south). The central cross-wing has an entrance lobby at ground-floor level. There were formerly separate boys' and girls' entrances at the north-east and south-east corner of the end cross-wings respectively, now infilled, with the infants' entrance probably in the porch in the rear of the central cross-wing, also infilled. The addition of a gym hall, c1920, incorporated the rear classroom of the south cross-wing.

EXTERIOR: The front (W) elevation is symmetrical, 2 storeys high and 13 bays, with a pitched roof. The end cross wings project about 1m from the wall face at the front; the central cross-wing only slightly. The main entrance at the centre has a semi-circular arch framed with red brick pilasters on moulded bases with moulded render capitals and cornice. Frieze with moulded lettering: 'CONNAUGHT ROAD COUNCIL SCHOOLS'. The spandrels are infilled with decorative terracotta tiles; each contains a medallion carved with monograms, now indecipherable, but probably HSB for Hove School Board. Each cross wing has a shaped gable at front and rear. Intermediate bays (3, 5, 9 and 11) have tall lucarne dormers with triangular pediments. There are 2 windows per bay in the cross wings and at first-floor level; in the remaining ground-floor bays they alternate between 1 and 3 windows per bay. Generally, ground-floor windows are segmental headed with moulded rendered arches, moulded brick sills and shallow aprons; upper-floor windows have cambered arches, mainly rendered, some in red brick, most with rendered aprons. Windows are mainly multi-pane timber sashes; taller windows to gables and dormers have an additional pivoting top light. Moulded string course between floors, and a deeper one at first-floor level continuing through sills. Paired first-floor windows to entrance cross wing have pilastered surrounds and pilasters above the keystones continuing through moulded cornice to apex of gable, which has small semi-circular headed casement window. Those to end wings similar but with strapwork scrolls and blind bulls-eye window in rendered panel. Lucarne dormers also have decorative pilasters, and moulded cornice with small window in pediment. Dormers' cheeks are slate-hung.

N and S elevations are asymmetrical; latter is partly obscured by the gym extension. Each has a lucarne dormer matching those at the front. The former boys' entrance to the NE corner, originally an open arcade, has two semi-circular arches to the rear and one to the north side, in red rubbed brick with moulded imposts; the N arch surmounted by an upswept segmental pediment in rubbed brick with 'BOYS ENTRANCE' in terracotta lettering. Only the two north arches of the corresponding girls' entrance on the south-east corner remain, modified as windows, the remainder was removed in the construction of the hall.

The central cross-wing of the rear (E) elevation has an arcaded porch, also infilled. Hipped roofs to stair compartments; flat roofs to lower sections between cross wings. Chimneystacks with red-brick banding and cornices. The pitched roofs are constructed with wooden rafters and purlins supported on arch-braced collar-beam trusses.

The single-storey gym hall of c1920 at the south end of the school, and late C20/early C21 lift extension at the rear, are not of special interest.

INTERIOR: Internally, the plan form survives with various limited alterations, including subdivision or removal of walls to create larger classrooms. Suspended ceilings have been added throughout the ground and first floor, although arched roof trusses survive above them at first floor. Much internal joinery remains, including classroom doors with glazed panels above, radial-pattern fanlights to corridor arches at ground floor, dados, cupboards and some tiled fireplaces.

SUBSIDARY FEATURES: At the north-east corner of the site is the former carpenters' workshop, which is of group value with the school. Yellow brick with red brick dressings; clay tile roof with decorative cresting. Comprises a 2-storey 3-bay entrance block with a hipped roof, and a taller 2-storey rear block, 3 bays long, with a pitched roof. Central bay above entrance has a blind semi-circular keyed arch in moulded red brick with panelled apron and pediment over. Ground-floor windows all have cambered arches; upper floor windows have flat arches. Double-hung sashes to entrance block, and casements with mullions and transoms to rear part. Modern flat-roofed extension to the south is not of special interest.

HISTORY: The school was built in 1884 for the newly-formed Hove School Board to the designs of Thomas Simpson (1825-1908). Following studies in Germany, considered at the cutting edge in its provision of education for the masses in the late C19, Thomas Simpson (1825-1908) began his career in Brighton articled to his uncle, James Charnock Simpson. He later went on to work in the office of the ecclesiastical architect, Joseph Butler of Chichester before moving to London to work as Principal Assistant to the leading Gothic Revival architect, William Butterfield. On leaving Butterfield's practice, Simpson returned to Brighton to continue his uncle's practice. In 1871 he was appointed as Surveyor and Architect to the newly-formed Brighton and Preston School Board and went on to design - later in collaboration with his sons, his older son being the better-known John William Simpson - all except one of the Brighton board schools (Richmond Street).

The Connaught Centre is the only educational building by Simpson remaining in Hove, and the only remaining board school built for the School Board of Hove. The cost of the site was £2,600 and the buildings £9,580. An intended cupola and weather vanes were not carried out. There was accommodation for 229 boys, 160 girls and 241 infants. Laboratories were built in 1893, and a carpenter's workshop in 1903 to the designs of Clayton & Black. By 1904 there were 736 pupils on the roll. After the reorganisation of schools in the 1940s part of the school became the Hove Manor Secondary Modern School, closing down in 1967. The remaining part became the Connaught First School until that was closed in 1984. The school subsequently became the Connaught Adult Education centre.

SOURCES
Simpson Thomas, 1882. School Board for Hove - New Schools - Connaught Road. Elevation drawings deposited with East Sussex Recrods Office R/E5/1/27/90/17

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The Connaught Centre is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Of special interest as an architecturally distinguished and well-preserved board school;
* An early and distinctive use of the Queen Anne style in school design outside London, expressed through features such as the elegant shaped gables and façade detailing;
* Retention of internal features of interest.

Reasons for Listing

The Connaught Centre is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Of special interest as an architecturally distinguished and well-preserved board school;
* An early and distinctive use of the Queen Anne style in school design outside London, expressed through features such as the elegant shaped gables and façade detailing;
* Retention of internal features of interest.

External Links

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