History

Opened 7th October l907. Designed by Thomas Roderick, Architect of Aberdare and erected by Messrs Wills and Company, Ystrad. Cost úl4,000. At the opening ceremony it was declared to be "the finest piece of architecture in Aberdare".

Exterior

Free Jacobethan style with eastern influences to the dome; symmetrical school building, boys to left and girls to right - the two halves designed to be entirely self contained; as a result the composition lacks a main entrance. 1,2 and 3 storeys stepping down to either end. Dark, coursed and bull-nosed local stone with 'Red Wilderness' dressings including quoins, sill bands, plinth band and gable parapets with conical finials; slate roofs. The middle section is the tallest and is advanced including an octagonal tower with swept roof octagonal cupola crowned by iron weathervane. Blind roundel to front face; date plaque with rounded top below. Camber headed horned sash windows with voussoirs and keystones, 2-windows to the front on both floors. Lean-tos at either side with kneelers and side doors. The middle section is flanked by 3-bay blocks, the centres of which are set back; 3 Jacobethan type gables to each side, the central gables (to the Boys and Girls Halls) being taller. 3 blind arched openings to the upper parts of these gables; the halls have tall 3-light windows with labels and flanking circular windows; small pane glazing. 2 camber headed windows to flanking gables with horned l2-pane sashes; the inner of these gables have the boys and girls cambered doors with small pane tympani. The lines of these gables are continued downwards by set back lean-tos.
Twin gables to the ends with similar detail and glazing. Gables also to the taller hall ranges which have split thermal windows. U-shaped yard to centre rear.
Internally the main halls are bordered by classrooms with glazed sides so that the headmaster and headmistress could watch classes in progress. The outside windows are set high so that the children cannot look out.

Reference: Aberdare Leader, 12th October 1907, p.3.

Interior

Classroom interiors have canted boarded ceilings with circular ventilators.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29489445

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

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas