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Queen Mary's Grammar School Buildings

A Grade II Listed Building in St Matthew's, Walsall

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Coordinates

Latitude: 52.5893 / 52°35'21"N

Longitude: -1.9757 / 1°58'32"W

OS Eastings: 401740

OS Northings: 299055

OS Grid: SP017990

Mapcode National: GBR 2G0.MP

Mapcode Global: WHBG1.M5CT

Plus Code: 9C4WH2QF+PP

Entry Name: Queen Mary's Grammar School Buildings

Listing Date: 27 May 2005

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1392787

English Heritage Legacy ID: 491900

ID on this website: 101392787

Location: Ryecroft, Walsall, West Midlands, WS4

County: Walsall

Electoral Ward/Division: St Matthew's

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Walsall

Traditional County: Staffordshire

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): West Midlands

Church of England Parish: Walsall St Paul

Church of England Diocese: Lichfield

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Description


WALSALL

1690/0/10053 LICHFIELD STREET
27-MAY-05 Queen Mary's Grammar School Buildings

II
School. 1850. Edward Adams. Red Flemish bond brick with stone dressings and a plain tile roof. "Tudorbethan". I-shaped plan of 2 and 3 storeys with central schoolroom range. The entrance front is symmetrical to the road with 5 central bays. These have 4-centered arches to the ground floor with hood moulds which originally formed an open colonnade, but were glazed in the C20. Above are the large cross-windows of the school room with ashlar surrounds and 4-centered heads to the lights which are connected by a continuous hood-mould. Below the central window is a stone plaque which states in relief in Gothic script: "The Grammar School/founded by Queen Mary/AD 1554./Rebuilt/AD 1849." There is a brick parapet to the top of the wall with a gablet above each bay. This central block has a seperate longitudinal roof with shaped gables at either side which have large chimney stacks to their centres. Slightly projecting at either side are 3-storey wings which each have 2 shaped gables facing the road. Contemporary etchings show that the wings were originally similar and followed the pattern of the former headmaster's house in the left hand wing which has a central doorway with 4-centered head flanked by 2-light casements. To the first floor are similar windows at either side of a narrow single-light and to the second floor are 2 similar windows at either side of a diamond-shaped light. The right wing now has two floors and 2 long windows to either side of a central, single light. There is a substantial wing to the rear added in the later C19 which is not included with this item and a C20 metal-clad stair tower which is similarly excluded. The rear has several, original, metal-framed lattice windows.
Interior: The former headmaster's house has cornicing to two ground floor rooms and central ceiling roses. The colonnade has been converted to a canteen. The Schoolroom at first floor level has a panelled roof with braces consisting of corbels supporting wall posts and arched braces connected to scissor beams.
History: A boy's grammar school was founded in 1554 and endowed with some 300 acres. In 1838 the school was divided into two parts with the grammar school accompanied by a commercial school. From 1847 the school occupied the grandstand on the town's racecourse and then in 1850 moved to the present premises designed by Edward Adams, a local architect and former pupil of the school. In 1873 the school's property was vested in the charity commissioners and it became non-denominational. From this same date girls were educated in an adjacent building called Queen Mary's High School for Girls. In 1965 a separate boys' school was built at Mayfield and the buildings which are the subject of this application were handed over to the girls' school.
Source: Victoria County History, Staffordshire, Vol VI, pp. 174-176.

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