Waverton school and schoolmaster's house
Encyclopedia
Waverton school and schoolmaster's house are in the village of Waverton
, Cheshire
, England. The two buildings have been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
and designed by the Chester
architect John Douglas
. The schoolmaster's house is still in use as a house, while the school is now the parish hall for St Peter's Church
.
sandstone
with a red tile roof. It is in one storey and its south front has five bays
. Each of the central three bays has four-light mullion
ed and transomed
window under a stone-coped
gable
with a finial
. In the left bay is an arched doorway and in the right bay is a four-light mullioned window. The roof is hipped
and contains three gabled ventilators
. At the left end of the roof is a bellcote.
, and the upper storey is timber-framed
. The roof is in red tiles and there are two chimneys. The main (west) front of the house has three bays. The doorway is in the central bay; over this is an oriel window
supported by wooden column
s under a gable. To the left of the door is a five-light mullioned window. A pair of small outbuildings with hipped roofs are attached to the left side of the house. The south aspect of the house has a canted
window in the lower storey under a jettied
timber-framed upper storey supported on wooden brackets
. The upper storey contains a four-light casement window
with a date inscribed in the beam above it.
, Dodleston
and Eccleston
. Like Eccleston school
, Waverton school is built in close proximity to the schoolmaster's house. In each case the buildings are contrasted, the house being partly half-timbered while the school is constructed entirely in stone. Douglas' biographer Edward Hubbard
considers that these two schools "are outstanding among Douglas' village schools".
Waverton, Cheshire
Waverton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about 5 km south east of Chester...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The two buildings have been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building.
History
The school and the house were built in 1877 for the 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
and designed by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
architect John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
. The schoolmaster's house is still in use as a house, while the school is now the parish hall for St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, Waverton
St Peter's Church, Waverton is in the village of Waverton, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas...
.
School
This is constructed in red ashlarAshlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a red tile roof. It is in one storey and its south front has five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. Each of the central three bays has four-light mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
ed and transomed
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
window under a stone-coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
with a finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
. In the left bay is an arched doorway and in the right bay is a four-light mullioned window. The roof is hipped
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
and contains three gabled ventilators
Ventilation (architecture)
Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
. At the left end of the roof is a bellcote.
House
The house is connected to the school by a single-storey passage. It has two storeys; the lower storey is constructed in orange brick on a stone plinthPlinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
, and the upper storey is timber-framed
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
. The roof is in red tiles and there are two chimneys. The main (west) front of the house has three bays. The doorway is in the central bay; over this is an oriel window
Oriel window
Oriel windows are a form of bay window commonly found in Gothic architecture, which project from the main wall of the building but do not reach to the ground. Corbels or brackets are often used to support this kind of window. They are seen in combination with the Tudor arch. This type of window was...
supported by wooden column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s under a gable. To the left of the door is a five-light mullioned window. A pair of small outbuildings with hipped roofs are attached to the left side of the house. The south aspect of the house has a canted
Cant (architecture)
Cant is the architectural term describing part, or segment, of a facade which is at an angle to another part of the same facade. The angle breaking the facade is less than a right angle thus enabling a canted facade to be viewed as, and remain, one composition.Canted facades are a typical of, but...
window in the lower storey under a jettied
Jettying
Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...
timber-framed upper storey supported on wooden brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
. The upper storey contains a four-light casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
with a date inscribed in the beam above it.
Critique
Douglas designed schools for other estate villages, including AldfordAldford
Aldford is a village and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, England, south of Chester . It has a population of 213.The village lies on the east bank of the River Dee...
, Dodleston
Dodleston
Dodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales...
and Eccleston
Eccleston, Cheshire
Eccleston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, and close to Chester...
. Like Eccleston school
St Mary's School, Eccleston
St Mary's School, Eccleston is on the west side of Eaton Road in the village of Eccleston, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is still in use as a school.-History:...
, Waverton school is built in close proximity to the schoolmaster's house. In each case the buildings are contrasted, the house being partly half-timbered while the school is constructed entirely in stone. Douglas' biographer Edward Hubbard
Edward Hubbard
Edward Horton Hubbard was an English architectural historian who worked with Nikolaus Pevsner in compiling volumes of the Buildings of England...
considers that these two schools "are outstanding among Douglas' village schools".