Former Stables and School Now the Design and Making Centre

Reasons for Designation

The former stables and school now occupied by the Design and Making Centre represents an unusual example of an early school being established within a finely built stable block originally constructed for a church. Despite alterations and additions the building still clearly reveals its unusual development. Its direct association with a nearby listed church and school further enhances its significance as does its link with the influential Basset's of Tehidy. Taken together these factors mean that this building meets the standard for listing at Grade II. The later concrete and corrugated metal extensions are not to be considered to be of importance.

Details

CARN BREA

1535/0/10036 CHURCH ROAD 27-MAR-08 POOL Former stables and school now the Desi gn and Making Centre

II Stable, early C19 converted to school by 1840.

MATERIALS: The building as a whole is built mainly of pink Tolgarrack stone with some granite rubble and roofed with slate topped with ridge tiles. Towards the rear is a small corrugated metal extension and on the west a concrete block and wood structure.

PLAN: Irregular shaped consisting of two interconnected, conjoined single roomed structures with a porch.

EXTERIOR: The two main rooms are stone built and each has a separate modern hipped slate roof topped with ridge tiles. The front of the building is of dressed stone, has three large casement windows, a doorway with window above and two pitching eye's. A rendered porch with modern pitched roof extends from the eastern end. The eastern side of the building is composed of crudely dressed and rubble Tolgarrack stone and has three windows, one of which is blocked. The join between the two components of the building is clearly visible on this face. The western side of the building is built with a mixture of Tolgarrack and granite rubble and the north western corner is canted outwards at first storey level. INTERIOR: A range of original fittings survive and amongst these are most of the windows and roof trusses. The building has seen alteration with the addition of toilets and false ceiling within the porch, a replacement metal floor and stairs in the northern room and partition within the southern room.

HISTORY: The building at the rear of Trevenson Church was built in 1809 by the Basset's of Tehidy as stables and vestry for the church. Its use as a stable was relatively short lived and by 1840 a school for boys had been established at the site by Lady Frances Bassett. She was responsible for supporting at least 12 schools in the vicinity. The Bassets were a wealthy local family with considerable interests in the local metal mines, who from the C18 began establishing and sponsoring schools. Considerable quantities of contemporary documentation relating to the school survive, including detailed Inspector's Reports, information on building alterations and from the log book entries, glimpses into daily life at the school. Increasing population combined with the passing of the 1870 Education Act and subsequent legislation created a demand for more school places and on the 23rd December 1896 the school was closed and the pupils moved to the nearby Mixed School in Church Road, Pool. The building is now the home of Cornwall County Council's Design and Making Centre.

SOURCES: The Basset School for Boys, Undated and unpublished manuscript.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE The former stables and school now occupied by the Design and Making Centre represents an unusual example of an early school being established within a finely built stable block originally constructed for a church. Despite alterations and additions the building still clearly reveals its unusual development. Its direct association with a nearby listed church and school further enhances its significance as does its link with the influential Basset's of Tehidy.

Listing NGR: SW6668441840

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

490329

Legacy System:

LBS

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