Details
WELLS
ST5446 COLLEGE ROAD
662-1/6/73 (East side)
12/11/53 Cedars Cottage and former stables,
coach house and allied buildings
around
(Formerly Listed as:
COLLEGE ROAD
Stables belonging to No.15)
GV II
Coachman's house, stables, coach house and allied ancillary
buildings to The Cedars (qv), now all part of Wells Cathedral
School. Mid/late C18, after 1756. Red brick in Flemish bond,
with Doulting ashlar dressings, Welsh slate roofs between
coped gables, stone chimney stacks.
PLAN: 2 storeys throughout, around a courtyard, in a near
symmetrical layout, with principal range on east side, Cedars
Cottage and another building on north side, with similar
buildings on south side, the cottage now the Bursar's office,
and with gateway on west side, the courtyard being paved with
lias setts.
EXTERIOR: east range has 8 bays, of which the two centre bays
project and have pedimented gable, plinth, cruciform leaded
casement windows with segmental arches to lower bays 1, 2, 7
and 8, smaller segmental-arched doorways with plain stone
architraves, converted to windows, bays 3 and 6, and similar
but larger doorways to bays 5 and 6, first floor has 2-light
leaded casement windows to bays 1, 3, 6 and 8, not aligned
with lower windows, and a circular window between bays 4 and
5. Pump with stone trough between bays 4 and 5, clock in
pediment.
In the centre of the roof a tower with pyramidal lead roof
with windvane. To the W are two matching 5-bay buildings, that
on N side linked to the east block by a tall stone wall, part
of courtyard enclosure, each building has plinth, central
doorways with segmental-arched stone architraves to C20 doors,
lower windows are cruciform casements, and first floor has
2-light casements, all rectangular-leaded and all set under
segmental arches. Matching doorways in the east gables, and
north building has in addition a C20 fire escape from first
floor.
After linking wall on north side and single storey wing on
south side are the Cedars Cottage and Bursars office on north
and south sides respectively. Cedars Cottage of 2+2 bays, the
east bays shorter span and set back-these apparently single
storey, then heightened in early C19. Cruciform leaded
casement windows, with segmental arches to lower windows C20
door between eastern bays with brick and slate porch. Bursar's
office has similar but reversed facade, with cruciform
casements to first floor, east bay 1 has a 2-light leaded
casement window in a former doorway, and bay 2 a segmental
arched doorway with boarded door on a heavy frame, with small
single-light window to right, the 2 west bays have early C20
garage doors.
West gateway marked by tall ashlar gate piers with plinths and
moulded pyramidal caps, and concave quarter-circle sweeps of
3m tall random stone walling with pitched ashlar copings,
pierced on the north side by two gateways, and continued about
1m northwards and about 20m southwards, ending with small
boarded door in plain opening, all adding to both the setting
of the buildings and the streetscape generally.
INTERIOR: not inspected.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the site occupied by this courtyard was
transferred from the ownership of the Vicars Choral to the
owner of the Cedars (qv) in 1756.
Listing NGR: ST5515146206
