Description

CHESTER CITY (EM)

SJ4066 UPPER NORTHGATE STREET
1932-1/6/275 (West side)
28/07/55 Bluecoat School and former Chapel of
St John Baptist
(Formerly Listed as:
UPPER NORTHGATE STREET
The Bluecoat School)
(Formerly Listed as:
UPPER NORTHGATE STREET
Church of Little St John)

GV II*

Chapel, orphanage and school, now youth centre. Founded 1700
by Bishop Stratford and built 1717. Stone-dressed orange
brick; hipped grey slate roof. U-shaped.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical; plinth. Central block has
pedimented entrance bay with 2 bays to each side; second and
fourth bays recessed. Central bay has through passage in
basket-arched painted-stone Tuscan case carrying shouldered
round arched niche with statue of Bluecoat boy 1854 by Edward
Richardson. A basket-arched 19-pane sash in pilastered case to
each side of entrance; a narrower bay to each side has door of
6 fielded panels in pilastered case with blank panel above.
Second-storey floorband; blank panel to entrance bay; 2 square
6-pane sashes to each side have simple stone cases with keys.
Cornice; clock in central pediment; parapet with simple stone
cap. Central octagonal belfry cupola has round-arched
bell-openings and copper roof. Projecting south and north
wing, each with 2 basket-arched 16-pane sashes to court in
ground floor and 2 square 6-pane sashes to first floor, all in
cases as in central block.
Front of south wing has basket-arched window to former Chapel
of St John, arch breaking floorband, with 2 mullions, central
glazing bar, 2 horizontal bars and impost transom; case with
panelled pilasters. North wing has basement window projecting
above plinth and window of 46 panes, including fanlight, in
case matching that to chapel. The south face has 6 fixed
lights of 16 panes with 1-pane hopper inserts; 6-pane first
floor sashes above, all in cases as to the front; plinth,
floorband, cornice and parapet. The north face, similar to
south face, has a door and windows also to basement, facing
Canal Street.
The rear is simply expressed. Long, narrow area to basement
has quarter-landing and 10 steps, now concrete, down to
basement; access to central passage bridges area. Wrought-iron

railing to area has round knob-topped balusters on painted
stone plinth. Brick reveals to passage arch with panelled
imposts; keystone. The ground floor has 2 segmental-arched
12-pane flush sashes and an altered, deeper, 15-pane sash
north of passage; a square bay window of 4;4;8;4;4-panes with
pilaster mullions of stone; 2 segmental-arched 15-pane sashes
and bay window, as to north, south of passage. Brick
floorband; 11 recessed 9-pane fixed lights to second storey in
segmental-arched openings; cornice parapet and plain stone
coping; 2 lateral chimneys.
INTERIOR: most details are removed. Recessed 2-panel shaped
double gates with wrought-iron spikes in central
through-passage. Cellars at rear with some barrel and groined
vaulting in brick. A few doors of 6 fielded or 6 plain panels.
A dogleg oak stair at junctions of south and north wing with
central wing, with turned newels, stick balusters and oak
rails. One or 2 rooms have cornices. The former Chapel of St
John Baptist is stripped of features and sub-divided.

Listing NGR: SJ4038166701

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Bluecoat School, Chester at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q4930286

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, Supplement 2014
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)