910

 

II*  

Designated  

24/10/1950  

12/07/2006  

The Church House (Old Grammar School)  

 

Denbighshire  

Ruthin  

 

 

312374  

358437  

 

Facing S into the Churchyard, with School Road to the N.  

Education  

 

The Grammar School was re-founded by Gabriel Goodman, a native of Ruthin, who became Dean of Westminster. It was opened in 1598, and the current stone building may be of this date. It has a brick staircase projection to the rear, probably secondary but not later than 1700. Restored in 1831-2, with further work by Lloyd Williams & Underwood in 1867, including the addition of the porch; the mullioned and transomed windows are probably C19 replacements of the originals. The Grammar School moved to a new site in 1891-3, becoming Ruthin School. In the 1990s the building was converted to apartments.  

Four-window range of one-and-a-half storeys, probably 5-window and symmetrical before the addition of Memorial House at right-angles to the R. Constructed of large blocks of roughly coursed local stone under a slate roof, hipped and slightly swept to L end; brick ridge stack to R; high stone plinth. The openings have dressed sandstone surrounds with flat heads. Entrance under 3rd window from L, probably central originally, with stone doorcase containing double boarded doors and an overlight, now boarded over. C19 gabled open-fronted timber porch with swept slate roof, the gable pierced by a trefoil and small roundels; diagonal boarding with bands of pierced quatrefoils to sides, on a sandstone base. Windows have chamfered stone mullions and transoms, with diamond quarry glazing and diamond ventilators. To ground floor, cross-windows under relieving arches, those to R of entrance paired; to upper storey, 2-light windows under gabled half-dormers, with swept roofs on sandstone kneelers. West end has truncated brick stack. Rear is 5-window with central full-height gabled projection. Two-window to each side of projection, the windows and dormers as front. Staircase projection is of brick under a swept slate roof, on a stone plinth. Windows at irregular levels, the gable end with 3 x 2-light windows in sandstone surrounds, as front. Its R-hand return has a boarded door to R, reached by stone steps, and a small 4-pane sash under the eaves; L-hand return has panelled door to far L. East end of range is abutted by Memorial House.  

The interior was recorded by RCAHMW in 1994 before it was converted to apartments. The ground floor was a single open chamber which could be divided into 2 rooms by temporary screens. High ceilings with squared beams and joists, and C19 panelling; the gable fireplaces were blocked. In the rear projection, a fine C17 open-well staircase, with turned balusters, square newels and heavy moulded handrail; some alterations to top flight. The upper storey was also a single chamber, more recently divided into 2 rooms by a partition. Four substantial tie-beam trusses with double collars, vertical struts and 2 rows of trenched purlins.  

Listed grade II* for its exceptional interest as a rare surviving example of a C16-17 school building retaining its early character and detail, the C19 work generally sympathetic. The building makes a valuable contribution to the historic landscape of this fine parochial close.