Description

PAIGNTON

SX8860 BISHOPS PLACE
1947-1/5/4 (North side)
26/07/91 Paignton Community College

GV II

Part of Paignton Art School, formerly the School of Art and
Science. 1908 (datestone). C17 in style.
MATERIALS: Rusticated red breccia with red brick and freestone
and some terracotta dressings; sgraffito panels on right
return; slate roof. PLAN: Deep rectangular plan on a corner
site between Bishops Place and Gerston Place. Entrance from
Bishops Place at left end into a stair hall, well-lit studios
on ground and first floor, the first-floor rear windows
positioned to take full advantage of north light.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical, regular 5-window front.
Deep plinth; moulded terracotta string to the ground floor;
cornice at first-floor level below deep freestone band
inscribed with 'School of Art and Science' in Roman lettering.
Deep projecting eaves cornice with modillion frieze, plain
parapet with moulded coping. Rusticated Baroque doorway to
left with a stone porch hood with panelled soffit on moulded
consoles and egg-and-dart moulding. Datestone in tympanum
flanked by symbols of Art and Science; pair of half-glazed
panelled doors. 4 round-headed ground-floor windows with spoke
glazing bars above the transom. 5 first-floor Gibbs-surround
windows with heavy rustication, keystones and rusticated
voussoirs, glazed with 9 over 2-pane sashes. The right return
(onto Gerston Place) has 6 ground-floor windows matching those
on the front and, on the first floor, a frame of moulded
glazed tiles surrounding a series of sgraffito panels that
extend the full length of the building. These illustrate
respectively Applied Design, Sculpture, Painting and
Architecture. The rear (north) elevation has 2 massive
first-floor windows, rising above the eaves and canting
backwards for maximum light.
INTERIOR: Retains an open-well top-lit stair with a balustrade
of cast-iron panels and a rounded timber handrail with
projecting beads. Other surviving original features include a
wood-block floor; vents for central heating, originally from a
coal-fired boiler; sliding doors with diagonal boarding
between the two first-floor studios and some original
fittings, including a vertical chest for storing paintings and
stout timber storage cupboards.
HISTORY: The sgraffito panels were executed by the first
headmaster, Wallis, and are said to have been influenced by
the sgraffito work on the Royal College of Organists,
Kensington. They are a rare example of English external
sgraffito work. They were in poor condition at time of survey
(1991) but there are plans to repair them. The Science and Art
School was originally located in New Street and was first
financially supported by the Council in 1895. PLANs for the
new school were first approved in June 1907, total cost
»11,650, building completed in October 1908 (Penwill).
(Penwill FR: Paignton in Six Reigns: 1935-: 49, 67).

Listing NGR: SX8871660765

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26585821

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

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  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)