Description

CIRENCESTER

SP0201 PARK LANE 578-1/6/257 (East side) 23/07/71 The Old Grammar School and forecourt wall

GV II*

Former Grammar School, now house. Late mediaeval, 1534-60, 1640s and 1760s with C20 alterations and repairs. Coursed squared limestone rubble, rendered brick to inner face of rear wing to right; artificial stone slate roof to front, parapeted and with coped verge to right, stone slate and Welsh slate to rear; rebuilt brick left-end stack, rebuilt brick stack on gablet to rear right, external stack to gable end of rear wing to left with top rebuilt in brick. Mediaeval front range rebuilt to right (solar range) 1640's has mediaeval wing to rear right raised in 1760's, mid C16 wing to rear left and addition to rear right wing, 1760's addition to rear centre. Front is single-storey and attic; 3-window range to hall to left; 2 storeys, attic and cellar; 3-window range to right. Hall to left has three 3-light ovolo-moulded stone mullion and transom windows, 3 lights high, with leaded glazing and hoodmoulds, 3 hipped dormers with 2-light glazing bar casements above; solar range to right has to first floor one 2-light ovolo-moulded stone mullion window with leaded glazing and hoodmould, to right two C19 2/2-pane horned sashes with concrete lintels and stone cills; ground floor has two 2/2-pane sashes in similar reveals to right, C20 plank door to centre recessed within mediaeval round-headed moulded stone surround with hoodmould and relieving arch. One hipped dormer with 2-light timber casement. Side and rear elevations have scattered fenestration of C18, C19 and C20 glazing bar sashes and casements with gabled dormer to rear right, raking dormer to rear left wing and C20 rooflights. INTERIOR has plank and muntin screen dividing passage from hall, to hall C17 panelling from Kent inserted c1948, C20 fireplace, 3 plastered beams with chamfers with run-out stops, jib door leads to rear left - one plastered beam with chamfer with run-out stop. Ground floor right has late C18 stone chimneypiece with reeded pilasters with acanthus capitals, frieze with festoon decoration and enriched cornice, plastered beam with chamfer with run-out stop with 2 notches and plaster leaf decoration (cf Dunstall House, Nos 9-17 Market Place, Nos 4 & 6 Silver Street (qv)). 1640's pierced splat balusters re-used to altered staircase with stone spiral to upper flight. First floor solar has heavy cross beams boxed out; bathroom to first floor centre possibly former gallery to hall, small part of hall roof structure visible in passage to first floor rear - possibly part of arch brace; oak spiral staircase to front right attic, 2-bay butt-purlin roof C17 or C18 to right front. Rear left wing has 3-bay trenched purlin roof with curved principals now not load-bearing; cellar to front right has 2 heavy chamfered beams. Attached forecourt wall approximately 5m high to left with stone slate capping ramps down to front with ashlar coping approximately 2m high, ramping up to approximately 2.5m high to centre over pair of boarded studded doors with applied mouldings and with ball finial to centre and ramping up to right end to approximately 2.5m high with C20 plank door similar to doors to front in right return. Mediaeval range possibly constructed originally as civic building, eg manorial court, became school 1458, 1507 or 1534, certainly in school use by 1611; wing to rear left constructed 1534-60 under Elizabeth Tolley bequest; bad state of repair in 1590's led to rebuilding of 1640's when upper school created by inserting floor in great hall to form present attic, range to front right extensively reconstructed; mediaeval wing to rear right raised 1760's and further range added between rear wings.

Listing NGR: SP0209801993

External Links

• Wikidata Q17536777

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Recommended Books

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)