Description

TQ 04NW WONERSH C.P. GUILDFORD ROAD

1/364 St. John's Seminary

II

Seminary. Founded 1891 and built in 1895 by F. A. Walters in Dutch/Jacobean
style. Red brick with gauged and ribbed brick dressings, some stone frontis-
pieces and coping on chapel, slate roofs. Large rectangular main block with
projecting lower wings to sides enclosing courtyard, chapel to left at right
angles to wing, service wing and extensions set back to right. 3 storeys and
attics over basement on main range, two storeys over basements on wings. Tall,
stone banded,front stacks on main range, one to left and two to right, also
decorated with moulded string courses. Further stacks on court sides of wings
in re-entrant angles with main range. Main block - Eleven bays articulated by
pilaster piers under small gable/pediment offsets at first floor height.
Narrower linking bays to ends connect to wings. Ten pedimented dormers in
roof with further row of flat roofed dormers behind. Stone banding flanking
central three bays. Deep moulded string course over basement, cornices over
ground and first floors with dentilled decoration on main eaves. Segmental
head glazing bar sash fenestration, the lower half of the window now plate
glass, keystoned gauged brick heads above. Ground floor windows in arched
recessed panels with impost mouldings and gauged brick "sunburst" pattern to
heads. Lancet windows in basement. Central three bays of range under shaped
gable with flanking scalloped parapets. Pulvinated frieze over second floor
and segmental pediment over central window on second floor. Tripartite central
window to first floor under swan's neck pediment. Flat portico of rubbed brick
to ground floor approached up a flight of stone steps with banded newel posts
and square pyramidal scroll flanked finials. Jacobean style half-fluted Ionic
pilasters on pedestals support pulvinated frieze and flank moulded brick arched
entrance to porch. Stone frontispiece to rear of porch with similar pedestal
pilasters flanking panelled double doors under oval fanlight. Wings projecting
are of simpler design with rusticated quoins on piers articulating facades,
finials above on angle piers. 4 gabled bays to each wing with larger bay to
re-entrant angle. String courses over ground floor and sash fenestration.
Ends of wings have banded stone decoration to arched upper panels enclosing
roundel window. Irregular fenestration below. Chapel to left - connected by
lower linking range with thermal window over three, single-light,cambered head
windows. Gable end entrance with porch across ground floor under shaped
pediments and spherical finials. Eight bays on chapel with plinth and sill
mouldings. Banded, scroll topped buttresses alternating with round arched,
gauged brick head leaded windows, triple blind arcade on gable end. Dutch
gable to end with spike and sphere finials. Copper spirelet over domed
lantern on roof ridge to left with open sides.

PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND, SURREY (1971) p.537.

Listing NGR: TQ0246545073

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St. John's Seminary at Wikipedia
• St. John's Seminary official website
• Wikidata Q16707763

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

• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2