Details
HERTFORD
TL3212NE BLUECOAT AVENUE
817-1/17/5 (West side)
No.4
Princess Mary House
GV II
Former dormitory house to Christ's Hospital School (one of 8
identical blocks), now offices. 1904-6, with late C20
alterations. Architect Alexander Stenning, contractor Sabey
and Co, Islington. Red brick laid to Flemish Bond with
Portland stone dressings, machine tiled roofs with lead roll
hips and ridges, red brick chimneys with stone bands and
cornice.
EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, with second floor partly in roof as
semi-attic. Square block plan with long rectangular projection
for open dormitories. Queen Anne style; 3 bay east facade to
Bluecoat Avenue, red brick plinth and walls, with stone
rusticated quoins, and plat bands at first and second-floor
level. 3 windows, wood sashes with glazing bars set back in
reveals, on ground and first floors with red rubbed brick flat
arches and projecting stone key blocks. Moulded stone sills,
and projecting brick aprons with shallow ogee profile lower
margins, beneath all windows of front elevation. Wood
modillion eaves cornice broken by second-floor windows which
have shallow lead covered pedimented dormer roofs, outer
triangular, central segmental. Doors in central bay modern
twin leaf with raised fielded panels and blank fanlights,
recessed in opening with red brick flat arch and stone key
block. Cast-iron rainwater heads, initialled 'CH' (Christ's
Hospital) '1904', with rectangular rainwater pipes on bay
lines.
South elevation has twin projecting bay windows with 2 sash
windows with rubbed brick arches and brick key blocks,
separated by central pier, moulded stone cornice and parapet
with ramped moulded stone cap. To first floor 1 sash window
left and right, second floor semi-dormers with paired sashes,
with triangular pedimented roof. Ground floor centre recessed
between bays, originally with narrow windows, now widened to
form subsidiary entrance, with modern twin leaf doors. At
landing level there is a moulded stone band forming the sill
of a tall window with moulded console key block.
At landing level intermediate between first and second floors
is a stone panelled spandrel, with twin recessed, raised and
carved cartouches, with scrollwork and fruit, with the date
'19' and '04'. Leaded glazing with obscured quarries. Lower
light has stained and painted armorial bearings of HRH
Princess of Wales (later HM Queen Mary).
To the left the setback tail of the dormitories, 4 bays,
paired sashes on all floors. with pedimented dormers.
Chimneybreast and chimneystack in centre. Ground floor
projecting canted chimneybreast with stone pulvinated frieze,
cornice and stone modelled cap, with ogee profile. In centre
is recessed rectangular panel, with raised carved scrollwork
and shield with arms of the City of London. Above stone band,
chimney continues as a shallow projection to first and second
floors. Above eaves cornice, brick stack with twin blank arch
recesses, moulded stone band and cornice. Rear elevation faces
west, single bay.
North elevation repeats central chimney detail from south
elevation. Single projecting rectangular bay on ground floor.
Nos 3 and 4 linked on west by a red brick wall with moulded
stone copings, ramped at each end.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: Christ's Hospital, founded in the reign of
Edward VI moved to Hertford and Ware following destruction of
its premises in the City of London in the Great Fire of 1666.
The Hertford premises were rebuilt in 1685 as twin terraces of
dormitories facing each other across a central yard. The
school was rebuilt 1904-6, when the 8 dormitory houses were
constructed, and officially opened by TRH Prince and Princess
of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary) during their
visit to Hertford in July 1906. The new school had been
designed to accommodate girls only, the boys' school having
moved to Horsham in Sussex. The girls' school remained in
operation until 1984, when it was also moved to Horsham. The
Christ's Hospital site was partly redeveloped, west of Mill
Road, which was cut through east of the dormitory courtyard,
and the dormitory blocks changed to office use, with some
subdivision of the interiors.
The 8 dormitory blocks have group value with each other, and
with the remainder of the buildings of the former Christ's
Hospital School.
(Turnor L: History of Hertford: Hertford: 1830-: 323-331;
Victoria History of the Counties of England: Hertfordshire:
London: 1901-1912: 491; Royal Commission on Historical
Monuments (England): An Inventory of the Historical Monuments
of Hertfordshire: London: 1910-: 113-4; Hope Bagenal: The
Georgian and Post Georgian Buildings of Hertford: 1929-:
10-11; Hertfordshire Countryside: Morrison J: Bluecoats in
Hertfordshire: Letchworth: 1946-1954: 62-3; The Buildings of
England: Pevsner N: Hertfordshire: Harmondsworth: 1977-: 188;
Page FM: History of Hertford: Hertford: 1993-:
58,59,97,122,125-6; Felstead A: Directory of British
Architects 1834-1900: London: 1993-: 872).
Listing NGR: TL3296212785
