St Mary's School, Eccleston
Encyclopedia
St Mary's School, Eccleston is on the west side of Eaton Road in the village of Eccleston
, Cheshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is still in use as a school.
and designed by the Chester
architect John Douglas
. It continues to be in use as a Church of England
primary school.
, as being Gothic
, although in the citation in The National Heritage List for England it is described as being as Tudor. It is constructed in red sandstone
with a red tile roof and its plan is a 'T'-shape. The school is attached to the former schoolmaster's house, also designed by Douglas, and also a Grade II* listed building. Attached to the other end of the school is an octagonal turret
with a belfry and a steeple
. The gables have stone coping
and shaped finial
s. At the apex of the front gable is a niche
containing the statue of a figure wearing a crown, teaching a child. The windows are mullioned; some of them are arched, while others are straight-headed. There are two arched doorways; the doors have elaborate wrought iron
hinges.
, Dodleston
and Waverton
. Like Eccleston school, Waverton school
is built in close proximity to the schoolmaster's house. In each case the buildings are contrasted, the house being partly half-timbered while the school is constructed entirely in stone. Hubbard considers that these two schools "are outstanding among Douglas' village schools, and though both are attractive, Eccleston is the more delightful of the two". Similarly the authors of the Buildings of England
series express the opinion that Eccleston is the best of Douglas' estate schools.
Eccleston, Cheshire
Eccleston is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, and close to Chester...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is still in use as a school.
History
The school was built in 1878 for the 1st Duke of WestminsterHugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster
Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster KG, PC, JP , styled Viscount Belgrave between 1831 and 1845 and Earl Grosvenor between 1845 and 1869 and known as the 3rd Marquess of Westminster between 1869 and 1874, was an English landowner, politician and racehorse owner.He inherited the estate of...
and designed by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
architect John Douglas
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
. It continues to be in use as a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
primary school.
Architecture
The architectural style is described by Douglas' biographer, Edward HubbardEdward Hubbard
Edward Horton Hubbard was an English architectural historian who worked with Nikolaus Pevsner in compiling volumes of the Buildings of England...
, as being Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, although in the citation in The National Heritage List for England it is described as being as Tudor. It is constructed in red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a red tile roof and its plan is a 'T'-shape. The school is attached to the former schoolmaster's house, also designed by Douglas, and also a Grade II* listed building. Attached to the other end of the school is an octagonal turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
with a belfry and a steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
. The gables have stone coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
and shaped finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. At the apex of the front gable is a niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
containing the statue of a figure wearing a crown, teaching a child. The windows are mullioned; some of them are arched, while others are straight-headed. There are two arched doorways; the doors have elaborate wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
hinges.
Critique
Douglas designed schools for other estate villages, including AldfordAldford
Aldford is a village and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, England, south of Chester . It has a population of 213.The village lies on the east bank of the River Dee...
, Dodleston
Dodleston
Dodleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated on the border between England and Wales...
and Waverton
Waverton, Cheshire
Waverton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies about 5 km south east of Chester...
. Like Eccleston school, Waverton school
Waverton school and schoolmaster's house
Waverton school and schoolmaster's house are in the village of Waverton, Cheshire, England. The two buildings have been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.-History:...
is built in close proximity to the schoolmaster's house. In each case the buildings are contrasted, the house being partly half-timbered while the school is constructed entirely in stone. Hubbard considers that these two schools "are outstanding among Douglas' village schools, and though both are attractive, Eccleston is the more delightful of the two". Similarly the authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series express the opinion that Eccleston is the best of Douglas' estate schools.