Former Blue Coat School, St Michael's, Coventry

Summary

Former Blue Coat School building of 1856-1857 by James Murray, incorporating part of the remains of the medieval Coventry Priory.

Description

Former Blue Coat School building of 1856-1857 by James Murray, incorporating part of the remains of the medieval Coventry Priory.

MATERIALS: the building is constructed of stone with a tile roof.

PLAN: the school building stands partially stop the remains of the west front of the priory church. It is largely L-plan with the remains of the north-west tower of the Priory at its northern corner, and with a long range running south roughly along the line of the west front. A modern lift tower extension infills the space to the rear.

EXTERIOR: the school is characterised by its Victorian Gothic style with detailing reminiscent of a French Chateau. The main, four-bay range runs north-south along the line of the west front of the priory church, and is of two storeys with a tall sloping roof above. At the ground-floor level the former covered playground has arched openings in deeply-moulded surrounds; these are infilled with modern glazing. Tall buttresses rise through the first floor, where the schoolroom is lit by two-light windows in arched openings with carved hoodmoulds. To the south, a projecting stair tower has pairs of shouldered windows above a door in an arched surround. The roof above the schoolroom has a tall, central lantern.

The northern wing contains the main entrance to the building, which is housed in a moulded stone recess with an armorial panel above and an inscription which reads 'FOUNDED 1714 REBUILT 1857'. In front of this is a short terrace with ornate iron railings and openings beneath which expose areas of the surviving medieval masonry. The northern wing is of two and a half storeys, with a tiered bay window rising through two storeys and other windows of varying sizes. To the north, the remnants of the medieval tower can be seen at the lower level, with the C19 rebuilding above culminating in two tall turrets. East of this is a section of wall which appears to be a survival of the medieval precinct wall to the priory. The rear of the building has a modern extension in brick.

INTERIOR: the main entrance opens into a small hallway with Minton-style tiled floor, which continues into the main hall adjacent. The two rooms in the ground floor of the tower retain simple fireplaces, skirting and cornicing, and the small hall has a door which gives access to the spiral staircase of the medieval tower remains. The main hall has a large, open-well stair which has a closed-string balustrade of slender balusters and newel posts. The former open playground has exposed stone walls and hooks in the ceiling for swings to hang from. A door at its southern end access the smaller girls' stair which rises to the school room above.

The schoolroom is a single, large room open to the roof, which is supported on trusses with deep intersecting timbers and a central opening with the lantern above. There is a simple fireplace at each end of the school room. The tower at this level has offices, with a dormitory to its uppermost level. Internal doors throughout the building have raised and fielded panels.

The basement of the main block, which is accessed underneath the main stair, contains the exposed remains of the west front of the former priory church. The deeply-moulded base of its facade and considerable medieval masonry can be seen.

History

The Blue Coat School is understood to have been founded in the early C18; a date of 1714 was suggested in 1870 and is carved over the main entrance to the present building, although there is no known documentary evidence to confirm this date. The founding principles of the school were to ensure that 'Girls of the City of Coventry' were housed, fed and educated until they were 16 years old, having been trained for domestic service. At the time of the school's foundation, the north-west tower of the former Coventry Priory largely survived, and the school is thought to have occupied this structure.

While the medieval tower survived, it is unlikely to have stood in isolation and the school is likely to have been extended during the C18 and early C19. A watercolour of around 1800 shows a gabled roof atop the tower and various ancillary structures around the medieval structure which, at that time, appears to have retained a considerable amount of its original detailing in the Early English Gothic style. The Board of Health map of 1851 shows a T-plan building south of the medieval tower, largely on the site of the present school building.

In around 1855 the school purchased the adjacent cottages at 3-5 Priory Row to incorporate them into the school premises. Both the cottages and the existing school buildings were in poor condition at this time, and it appears that the intention was to restore the cottages to enable their use by the school during the rebuilding of the main premises. The architect James Murray was appointed to design the new school building, and work started on this in 1856. The first phase involved the construction of the covered playground and schoolroom above. The second phase, in 1857, involved the almost complete rebuilding of the medieval tower. During the rebuilding, the remains of the west front of the priory church were discovered. These were partially enclosed within the cellars of the new building, and other parts left exposed.

The new school building had a covered playground with classroom, kitchen and dining space and a dormitory for the girls on the top floor of the newly rebuilt tower. By the early C20 the girls were attending nearby Board Schools during the day, and during the inter-war period the numbers on the school roll has decreased considerably. In January 1940 the girls were evacuated from the school and the Trustees transferred ownership of the building to Coventry City Council, and it was subsequently used by the City Transport department. The building is now (2019) used by Holy Trinity Church and was refurbished and extended in around 2000.

Reasons for Listing

The former Blue Coat School building of 1856-1857 by James Murray, incorporating part of the remains of the medieval Coventry Priory, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* for the medieval fabric which formed part of the priory church, and which are now incorporated into the basement level of the school building;
* for the quality of the design by James Murray, with good detailing, scale and proportion;
* for its good degree of survival.

Historic interest:

* for its association with the Blue Coat School and its long history in Coventry;
* for the close connection with the history of the site of Coventry Priory.

Group value

* it has extremely close group value with the other designated and undesignated parts of the Coventry Priory site, and other listed buildings in the vicinity.

External Links

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.