St Margaret's Clergy Orphan School and Chapel

Details

BUSHEY MERRY HILL ROAD TQ 19 SW (North side) Bushey 10/139 St. Margaret's Clergy Orphan School and Chapel II Large school. 1895-7, date in central gable. By A and P Waterhouse for Clergy Orphan Corporation. Stock brick with red brick and red terracotta dressings. Tiled roofs. Polychrome Gothic Style. Symmetrical block of a roughly H plan. 3 storeys and attics. Central 8-bay block projects forward. 2 central and outer bays project further under gables. Further projecting central entrance porch with moulded round arched entrance and a cross window to front, hollow chamfered window surround. Terracotta over brick plinth. Terracotta parapet with lozenge and foliate ornament. In recess of entrance porch double doors and a round arched window, stained glass. Cross windows in returns of porch. Upper storeys of central bays have 6 light mullion and transom windows with hollow and ovolo moulded terracotta surrounds. First floor: stained glass, tile relieving arches. Pilaster strips up to gable, attic window, brick diapering and corbelling. Returns from central bays have tall windows with stained glass. To right of centre are 3 staircase windows corresponding to 2 bays on left. 2- and 6 light vertical windows with octagonal stained glass panes. Brick relieving arches. Red brick courses across front. Moulded cornice. Flat topped dormers. 2 outer gabled bays to central block have pilaster strips flanking 3 storey canted bays with coved heads. Tall stacks with oversailing caps. Set back from the 8 bay central block are 3 bay links with tall sashes in groups of 2 or 3, cambered heads and red brick surrounds. Dormers to right. Cross wings extend well forward. 5 bays. 2 storeys with tall ground floor. Inner facing elevations: to left tall paired sashes with margin lights, segmental heads, red brick surrounds, first floor 5 pairs of small sashes with pilaster strips. Corbelled out brick courses at heads. To right, 3 ground floor tall sashes, 7 first floor windows. Left gable end: a round headed window, brick diapering, ornamental star shaped ridge stack. Right gable end: ground floor canted bay with 3 stained glass lancets, steeply pitched hipped roof. 3 tall first floor sashes, brick diapering. To centre on rear ridge of double span is bell tower. Terracotta belfry with 3 openings to each side, each with a double blind arcade. Moulded cornice. Corner octagonal shafts with finials. Tiled trumpet shaped spire rises to leaded top. On ridges where cross wings meet link blocks are small turrets with spirelets. Extending beyond cross wings and set well back are 4 bay blocks with 4 gables over paired windows. Rear or garden front: central gable with terracotta arms, recessed links with lean-to's to 2 four storey towers, paired windows and a raked plinth and chamfered angles to upper storeys. Tall pyramidal roofs with leaded tops.Link blocks from towers to projecting gabled cross wings, that to right with a 1 storey canted projection on the gable end. To left from front a I-storey passage with a round headed entrance in a gabled porch curves to link to the Chapel: 4-bay nave. 1-bay chancel, short S transept. W entrance porch and small tower. W end: projecting gabled porch with a round headed entrance, dripmould, moulded plinth, terracotta corbelling and brick diapering. 2 slit openings. Returns have relieving arches over slit windows. Above porch rises tilehung tower, 4 openings to front with a gabled head, octagonal spire with belfry openings. Flanking porch are 2 round headed lancets with drip moulds, moulded terracotta inner surrounds and brick outer surrounds. Angle buttresses. To N and S: tripartite round headed lancets in relieving arches. Buttresses with pointed heads rise above sprocketed eaves. S transept projects slightly. 2 single lights and upper round opening, brick diapering in gable. Chancel has 3 round headed lancets to E that to centre taller. Upper slit opening. Coped gable parapet. Buttresses and 1 window to N and S. To S of chancel 1 storey organ bay with gable to E over a 2 light window. Interior: entrance hall with triple arcade to stairs with wrought iron balustrade. Chapel has round chancel arch, chamfered base, leaf moulding. (Pevsner 1977).

Listing NGR: TQ1344894527

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

164188

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977)

End of official list entry

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