History

Maelgwyn Council School was built in 1907 (date on building). Its original form, shown on the 1913 Ordnance Survey, comprised a long entrance range with cloak rooms and service rooms at the ends and 2 classrooms in the centre. Behind them was the assembly hall, flanked on each side by 2 further classrooms. A detached block was probably the infants school. A rear wing was extended, probably in the 1930s, although sympathetic to the original.

Exterior

A freestyle Edwardian single-storey school. The long entrance range is brick, under a half-hipped slate roof with ridge tiles, and 2 brick stacks. The front is symmetrical. It has 2 wide projecting gabled bays to classroom at the centre, then 3-window entrance bays set back and lower projecting gabled bays, housing the cloak rooms, set back from the ends. Above eaves level, gables are corbelled out slightly and rendered with painted studding. Openings have stone lintels with moulded dripstones. Windows are small-pane horned sashes in wooden frames, some with pivoting small-pane overlights above transoms. The R-hand entrance has half-glazed boarded doors under a freestone tablet with 'Boys' in raised letters. The L-hand entrance has a half-glazed door with side panel, under a freestone billet cornice and panel with 'Girls & Infts' in raised letters. In both entrance bays the doorways are placed on the outer side, the inner sides of which have 3 sash windows of 4 over single panes, of which the window next to the door is smaller. The 2 central classrooms each have 3 stepped windows, a central broader tripartite 18-pane window under pivoting lights, and single 18-pane outer windows. In the centre between the gables is a stone tablet inscribed 'Council School 1907' in raised Arts-and-Crafts style lettering. The outer gabled bays each have 2 paired 8-pane windows.

In each end wall are narrow paired 12-pane windows, behind which are paired 8-pane windows to projecting gabled back porches. Facing the playground at the rear (S), the porch at the L (W) end has a 1-storey brick extension. At the R (E) end the rear porch is in its original form, with rear outshut against the main range and entrance enclosed by a dwarf wall on 2 sides. It has a recessed half-glazed boarded door, to the R of which is a 3-light window. The rear of the entrance range has replacement windows next to the porches, lighting the corridor.

The central assembly hall is higher than the entrance range and has lower attached classrooms to the E and W walls. All are pebble-dashed under slate roofs, with gables similar to the entrance range. The S gable end of the hall has a stepped window comprising a central tall tripartite 24-pane window with pivoting lights above. On the L side is a narrower paired 24-pane window and on the R side a shorter replacement 2-light small-pane window, probably inserted when the rear wing was added. On the L (W) of the hall are 2 classrooms with gabled W front. Each has a central tripartite 18-pane window with pivoting upper lights, flanked by single 18-pane windows.

The R (E) side of the hall has 2 original classrooms with matching detail. It has been extended to the S by adding a short wing with 2 more classrooms. Facing E, each of these has paired 12-pane windows with pivoting upper lights below timber-framed gables, flanked by single 12-pane windows under overhanging eaves. The S gable end has a 2-light double-transomed small-pane window offset to the L side. The rear (W) side of the wing has a lower flat-roofed projection housing a corridor and 2 small projections, mostly with replacement windows. Above are two 3-light flat-headed dormers, of which the L-hand has a boarded-up central casement. Further extensions, including an open-sided shed with single-pitch roof, and roughcast boiler room with stack, are attached to the S end.

Interior

The entrance range has an axial corridor at the rear. Cloak rooms and service rooms are at the ends, with office to the R of centre. Two classrooms are in the centre, and on the W and E sides of the hall. The corridor has a glazed tile dado, and half-glazed panel door under small-pane overlights. Central classrooms have small-pane upper lights to the corridor, and similar small-pane lights to the hall, and inside are boarded wainscots. From the corridor is a 3-bay arcade with glazed-tile elliptical arches, leading into the hall. This has a glazed tile dado, incorporating fireplaces in each side wall which have blank panels and flat arches. The shallow-pitched corbelled 4-bay arched-brace roof has a boarded underside, and panelled cornice.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its special architectural interest as a well-preserved Edwardian school that exhibits the logical planning of classrooms around a central hall, light-filled interiors and distinctive external character, all characteristic of early C20 school architecture.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29508015

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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