Survey Data
Reg No
50070214
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Social
Previous Name
Blue Coat School
Original Use
Gate lodge
In Use As
Gate lodge
Date
1770 - 1790
Coordinates
314417, 234466
Date Recorded
29/10/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Attached two-bay two-storey former gate lodge, built c.1780, adjoining rear (east) elevation of granite screen wall Pitched slate roof, hipped to east, granite bellcote and chimneystack with clay chimneypots and cast-iron bell. Some cast-iron rainwater goods. Lined-and-ruled walls, chamfered corner to north-west, render plinth course. Square-headed window openings having render surrounds, timber sills and timber-framed windows. Cast-iron railings to window opening to east elevation. Square-headed door opening to north elevation, half-glazed timber panelled door opening onto render step. Carriage arch having carved granite string course at impost level, plinth course, and cornice, segmental-arched opening having granite block-and-start surround and double-leaf steel gate. Limestone wheel guard to front (east) of gateway.
Appraisal
This gate lodge and finely proportioned gateway leading to the rear of the former Blue Coat School incorporates high quality stonework. The entrance arch is a picturesque feature on the urban landscape and attests to the skill and craftsmanship of stoneworkers involved in its construction. It is very much in the style of the school it adjoins. The adjacent gate lodge, with the granite belfry and unusual chimneystack, provides aesthetic and contextual interest.