History

By D Pugh Jones, Glamorgan County Architect. Built in 1932 as Gwyndy Senior Girls School and opened on 25 September 1933. One of the later schools in Caerphilly by Pugh Jones.

Exterior

Four ranges enclosing twin courtyards separated by central library and hall wing. Single-storey. Long symmetrical front range with central entrance leading to library and hall wing. Constructed of red brick in Flemish bond under a slate roof with limestone dressings including sill band. The walls facing into the courtyard are of polychrome brickwork.

Projecting entrance portico in simple Wren revival style, flanked by 12 windows, and projecting gables to ends of front. Quoins and plinths to projecting bays. The portico has a hipped roof surmounted by a cupola with bell, above which is a globe and weather vane. Entrance with pilasters, an entablature and pediment, within which is a round arched doorway containing double panelled half-lit doors with overlight. Flanked by paired windows. The entablature continues across the portico as an eaves cornice and bears the inscriptions 'Pontygwindy Girls School' and 'Glamorgan County Council'. The pediment bears the school motto and the date, 1932. The lowest quoin blocks are foundation stones, that to the L referring to D Pugh Jones, County Architect, and R Jones, Builder. To the R, an inscription states that the school was opened by County Councillor Evan Phillips on 25 September 1933. Original ridge stack L of portico with limestone corbelled cap, and rebuilt stack to R. Down pipes to front with inscription '1932' on hoppers. The windows are 16-pane horned sashes with 8-pane opening lights above. Those flanking the front entrance are narrower. The projecting gables to ends have central windows in architraves under round heads with keystone and tympanum flanked by narrow windows.

The N and S ranges are 18-window in similar style. The rear range has an advanced central entrance bay with hipped roof. This doorway links with late C20 blocks to the rear. Hall and library block is 6-window with a hipped roof. Red brick below sill band level, and yellow brick above. The other walls facing into the courtyard are of the same polychrome brickwork. Half-lit panelled doors with overlights, some replaced, windows as front. Grassed courtyards with covered outer walk-ways. Low red brick walls with limestone capping support original iron columns and late C20 lean-to roofs with perspex coverings.

Interior

Inside the front entrance is a 2nd pair of doors, partially glazed. These lead to a short access corridor with green glazed tiles below a dado rail, a picture rail and diagonally boarded ceiling. Former offices lead off to L and R. At the back of the front range, double panelled half-lit doors lead into the library which has an arched brace roof, now mainly obscured by a false ceiling. Pilasters between windows, glazed green wall tiles. Classrooms in outer ranges, some with false ceilings.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its architectural interest as a well preserved example of a 1930s school of distinctive single-storey plan-form.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29498714

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

• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2