The Old Vicarage School

Details

22/24/33 RICHMOND HILL
24-DEC-68 (East side)
48
The Old Vicarage School

II*

House, now a school. Extant c1680, remodelled internally early C18, altered c1790, remodelled 1809, as Gothick castle. Extended, with internal modifications 1830s, and 1860's, external rendering probably 1840's. Red brick, stucco rendered, roofs not visible. Three storeys attic and basement, the attic storey set back behind embattled parapet. Symmetrical in five bays, the central bay canted at upper storeys over porch. Facetted embattled turrets at the angles, facetted shafts flanking central bay, both with blind arrow slits. Continuous moulded cill band and moulded band to parapet, continuing at lower level across turrets to return elevations. Embattled porch with three- centred arch to front, pointed arches to sides. Panelled and studded door under three centred arch, the overlight of eight vertical panes each with arched head, all in moulded stone doorcase. Iron screen and gate with quatrefoil panels and spearhead finials, and similar attached railings. Windows all under hoodmoulds. Ground floor sashes with glazing bars, those to the upper lights pointed. First floor four pane sashes with slender glazing bars, those to the upper panes four centre arched with coloured glass spandrels. Second floor pointed headed three- light casements, each of three vertical panes. Central canted windows to first and second floors, at first floor fixed arched lights beneath paired overlights, some coloured glass, at second floor small paned casements with arched heads. Small paned windows, some casements, also under hoodmoulds, to embattled attic storey. Rear, formerly main entrance, the central bay breaking forward with plain parapet. Facetted turrets at the angles, continuous moulded first floor cill band, moulded band to parapet and to turrets. Central embattled porte cochere and first floor oriel. Porte cochere with offset buttresses; arched openings under hoodmoulds, now blocked, with fixed light windows and two-leaf door. Inner studded door similar to entrance front. Left hand ground floor and all first floor windows are all small paned sashes with slender glazing bars, as ground floor of entrance front. Ground floor right two-light casement with cusped upper lights; flanking window pushed out but retaining original upper lights internally. Oriel has cusped upper lights with brattished transomes. Second floor casements as front elevation. All windows except oriel under hoodmoulds. Pair of attic storey small paned replaced casements. Ellerker Road elevation, altered ground floor windows, now cloakrooms, upper floor windows beneath hoodmoulds, some casements as main elevations, one sash with glazing bars as main elevations, pair of full height casements, that at first floor and ground floor window both with blind boxes.
Two storey wing to northwest, now school hall with classrooms above. Set back from main building on both elevations, stucco rendered, embattled, the upper storey set back. Richmond Hill elevation. Sash with slender glazing bars under hoodmould, as main elevation ground floor windows, first floor pair of four pane sashes as first floor front windows, again under hoodmoulds. Rear: ground floor full storey hall window of three lights with intersecting tracery, the upper lights cusped, with coloured glass, under pointed embattled parapet. Embattled upper storey, set back, with pair of three- light metal framed windows with pointed arched glazing bars, some top hung casements, both under hoodmoulds.

Interior: Entrance hall, fluted Ionic screen the segmental arch with foliate plasterwork spandrels, Greek key soffit. Heavy enriched modillion cornice to front and rear halls, continuing on upper floors. Four broken pedimented doorcases each with eared architrave, enriched pulvinated frieze, doors of six raised and fielded panels. Shallow waterleaf moulded panels to walls, moulded dado, repeated on upper storeys. Inner iron gate to front door, detailed as outer screen. Front right (headmistress's study) marble chimneypiece with gothic panels, late C19 or early C20 grate with possibly French enamelled linings. Rear left, architraves using variety of mouldings appearing elsewhere in house, moulded panelled shutters, chimneypiece blocked but with raised overmantel panel, some C18 wall panelling. Very fine staircase rising through three storeys. Open well, carved tread ends, running as closed moulded string at upper landing, two balusters per tread, alternating fluted and cylindrical shafts, fluted newels, ramped moulded handrail with curtail. Panelled stairwell with Ionic pilasters to dado with ramped moulded rail. Above first floor large enriched panel with eared architrave, smaller enriched foliate swag and scroll beneath second floor stair window. First floor half landing garlanded shell moulding to soffit. First floor landing ceiling rose with reeded vine leaf moulding. Central doorcase to second floor has eared architrave with classical mouldings. Similar first floor central doorcase, partly covered when inspected. Other doorcases at first and second floors have robust alternating hemispherical and dart moulding, also repeated on rear ground floor and upper side elevation windows. Doors of six raised and fielded and sunk panels. First floor front rooms, formerly single rooms, united early C19 with large moulded architrave, now subdivided. Front window architraves and inner first floor door architraves largely early C19 with rosette at the angles, egg and dart cornices and panelled shutters. Rear left, (staff room), largely C18, panelled walls with moulded dado, egg and dart cornice, enriched window architraves, panelled shutters. Rear right, window architraves hemispherical moulding with rope astragal, plain panelled shutters. Second floor front rooms: egg and dart enriched box cornicing, rosette and dart window architraves, largely plain C18 moulded doorcases, some doors of two panels, plainer rear rooms. Stone spiral stair rising from ground floor to upper storey. Attic storey not inspected.
Two storey wing. Ground floor hall and gym, formerly schoolroom: opposing pairs of softwood doors under diagonally lined panels within arched moulded architraves. Panelled window architraves. Marble chimneypiece with four centre arch, carved figure panels to linings.

Interiors attributed to Roger Morris
Built by George Carew before 1681, leased c1711/12 to widow and daughters of the late John Houblon, Governor of the Bank of England. By 1787 leased to Harriott Mainwaring Ellerker until her death in1842. From at least 1862 occupied by Wesleyan community, possibly responsible for schoolroom to north. Private girls' school from 1889.

B.Cherry & N.Pevsner, London 2 :South, 1983, p. 531.

Leonard Knyff, view of the Terrace on Richmond Hill, c1720
Prospect of Richmond, c1726, engraving

John Cloake, personal comment, (see HART files)




Listing NGR: TQ1806174407

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

432163

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Prospect of Richmond [engraving], (c1726)
Knyff, L, View of the Terrace on Richmond Hill, (c1720)
Cherry, B, Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: London 2: South, (1983), 531

End of official list entry

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