80988

 

II  

Designated  

13/03/2003  

13/03/2003  

Former National Schools  

 

Neath Port Talbot  

Pontardawe  

Swansea  

Pontardawe  

272454  

204402  

 

On the NW side of Brecon Road some 300m NE of the Church of Saint Peter.  

Education  

 

Extensive Gothic school group built of 1856 built as church schools for the rising industrial population principally financed by contributions of workpeople and a group of industrialists and landowners including William Parsons, W. Williams of Ynysmeudwy, J. Morgan of Gelligron, E. Jones of Garth and G. Lewis of Alltacham. The land was given by Harriet Williams of Brecon, the building cost £1,276/18/8d. The school was licensed for services in 1858. Unusual for the date is the use of terracotta for all the window dressings and quoins, the terracotta being made at Ynysmeudwy and being the largest surviving example of the product of that works. Closed 1885, used as Sunday schools, renovated, according to a plaque, in 1952. All chimneys removed.  

Former National Schools, now church halls, coursed rock-faced sandstone with yellow terracotta dressings and slate roofs. Teacher's house to left with gable projecting to front, two parallel schoolrooms to centre, and large gabled porch and third schoolroom projecting to right, the Bath stone traceried window indicating that third schoolroom was used as a church. Centre range has roof carried down low over mullioned windows, two 3-light, one 5-light with projecting base of truncated chimney between first two. Windows have triangular heads to lights. Schoolroom wing to right has steeped coped gable with cross finial, the left slope interrupted for base of a missing bellcote and then descending at steeper pitch below. Ashlar pointed traceried 3-light window with quatrefoils in head. Terracotta quoins to right, walling continuous to left with large gabled parallel roofed porch with coped gables and cross finials both ends, cambered-headed door with rusticated terracotta flush surround, diagonal low buttress at corner. SW side wall has small window. Classroom SW wall has three 3-light windows, NE wall has 2 similar, each flanked by buttresses with terracotta offsets. NW end of front classroom has coped gabled porch with cambered-headed doorway. Parallel classroom to right extends further with bargeboards to NW gable, brick-framed pointed window and NE lean-to NW end small chimney. Rear SE 3-light, 5-light and 3-light windows. Teacher's house has right side-wall chimney, front gable with quoins coping and cross finial, and 2-light terracotta mullioned window each floor, shouldered heads to each light, the windows recessed under blank arch with quatrefoil and stone voussoirs. SW side has two similar windows flanking door in gabled timber porch. No coping on SE end gable which has similar window each floor and quoins.  

 

Included as large Gothic school group of the mid C19, unusual for the locally-made terracotta details.