History

C14 tower and nave of the town's oldest church (cf below). This was the parish church of Abergavenny until the Dissolution of the Priory in Monk Street (qv) in 1539. The larger and grander church then became the parish church to the town while this building was converted to the King Henry VIII Grammar School, founded in 1542. The adjoining house was built as the Master's Study and the writing school probably in the mid C18 (said to be c1760). By mid century the school building was in poor repair and it is said to have been rebuilt in 1818 (cf Interior), and it is uncertain how much was actually taken down. The building continued in this use until the school moved to new premises in Pen-y-pound in 1898 (qv The Drama Centre). The building was then converted into Abergavenny Masonic Lodge 1899-1902 by a member architect, E A Johnson. What had been titled the Second Philanthropic Lodge was officially changed to St. John's Lodge in 1902. The additional small house in the yard was built in 1906 as a Tyler's Residence (qv) for the Lodge.

Exterior

The building is in three sections, all built of rubble stone, with the visible roofs in natural slate.
The tower is built of coursed red sandstone rubble with a presumably flat lead roof. Tall square 3-stage tower with the stages separated by string courses. It is claimed that it was much rebuilt in the C18 and early C19 (Coxe and Bradney), but the whole tower appears to be of one build and with medieval features which would have been a very unlikely piece of antiquarianism at that time. The tower is battered from base to top and does not have clearly defined quoins, both of which are unlikely in a rebuild. The second stage has two slightly pointed lancets on the east wall, the bell-stage has wider openings. The castellated parapet, however, does look like an early C19 addition.
The nave, later the main Schoolroom, is also said to have been rebuilt, but the west wall has apparently medieval quoins as well as a pointed arch door. Three-light window above with interlace head. The gable looks as if it has been rebuilt in some degree, but all is otherwise covered in roughcast render with any changes hidden. The south return wall is completely covered by the Grasshoppers PH, while the north return has blocked windows visible in the stonework, but not medieval ones.
The Master's Study to the south of the tower has a smooth rendered front with stone quoins to the yard, but a random red sandstone rubble wall on the left return. It is a two-storey mid C18 apparently single depth building with two windows. These are flush framed 6 over 6 pane sashes on the upper floor, but the ground floor has a 3-light late C20 casement with 6 6 6 panes under an elliptical head to the left and a taller 6 over 6 panes sash to the right. Dentil eaves cornice and roof hipped to left with chimney on rear wall. The house backs directly onto the Grasshoppers PH and has no rear elevation, but the left return wall shows that the rear wall could well be C16. Carved head on wall.

Interior

The nave of St. John's Church became the main Schoolroom in 1542 but nothing of that period can now be seen. The hall had a major rebuild in the C18 and was given a coved ceiling supported on wall plates plastered over with a large dentil cornice. That these are C18 is shown by their continuing through the east wall into what is now a separate room, but it seems likely that all other decorative features date from the major changes designed by E A Johnson in 1899-1902. These include the east wall, the transverse cornice at the west end which is supported by four scagliola Composite pilasters, the dado panelling, the organ and all the furnishings. All features in the other rooms are also from this period, including the staircase, except for the coved ceiling in the upper room of the mid C18 wing and the beamed ceiling in the tower.

Reasons for Listing

Included in a higher grade for its special interest as a medieval and later building of considerable character and history, having been used as the parish church of Abergavenny, then as the King Henry VIII Grammar School and now as St. John's Masonic Lodge.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• St John's Church at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17743093

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.

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