9575

 

II  

Designated  

19/05/1981  

28/11/2003  

Llys Model (former Model School)  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Carmarthen  

 

 

240758  

220213  

 

Situated set back from the road with entry between Nos 39 and 40.  

Domestic  

 

School and teacher's house, now sheltered accommodation, formerly just schoolmaster's house to rear of main school was listed. The Model School was built in 1847-8 to designs probably by Henry Clutton. The purpose of the model or practicing schools was to give practical experience to the trainee teachers at the training college (Trinity College) then being built to Clutton's design. There are undated plans for the school by William Westmacott, copied by the builder John Mainwaring, but when the school was opened W. P. James, contractor for Trinity College, was named as the architect and contractor here. The boys' school was opened in 1849 and the girls' school in 1851, possibly on the same site. There are plans by Clutton for a new classroom almost-detached at rear NE dated 1856. As identified on a plan signed by Clutton and B. & W. James, the boys' schoolroom was to the rear NW, the girls' to the front SW, the front SE had a house with infants classroom detached to S. The E range had 2 classrooms and another house at NE corner, with boys' and girl's dormitories over the 2 classrooms. In a directory of 1871 the model school was described as a group of 3 national schools for 600 children, from a design by Mr Clutton. Converted to residential accommodation in 1989. The listed rear schoolmaster's house has lost distinguishing features since 1981 including a gabled dormer and pointed doorway on the E side. The former infants' schoolroom projecting from SE corner of front range is listed separately.  

Gothic former school of one-and-a-half storeys, squared rubble stone with ashlar dressings, steep slate roofs and coped gables. All fenestration renewed in uPVC. S front has gable to left of rear W classroom wing, former domestic range to right (SE) screening a rear E range that had dormitories over 2 small classrooms with teacher's house beyond. A near detached classroom of 1856 is at NW, the detached infants' classroom at SE is listed separately. Front gable has cluster of 3 trefoils with pointed arch of stone voussoirs, over altered pair of 2-light schoolroom windows, now centrally divided for inserted floor. Cusped head to each light. Range to right has shouldered doorway to left, with 2-light mullion window above, under eaves (shown as 3-light in Lodwick sketch), to right are 2 bays of 2-light windows, the upper ones in stone eaves dormers (Lodwick sketch shows one 2-light next door and 2 3-light windows under dormers). W side of schoolroom wing has large coped gabled former girls' porch to right and altered former boys' porch to far left, lacking coping. Right porch has cusped head to chamfered pointed arch and low side-buttress to right. Between porches are 5 gabled schoolroom windows with later C19 yellow brick sides and glazing reaching into gables. C20 glazing, divided between floors, centre bay has glazing carried down to C20 door. Former boys' porch to left now infilled. E end of front range has lean-to and no windows, rear N wall has single large cambered-headed yellow-brick late C19 window, C20 skylight over. Rear NE range is in 3 parts, much rebuilt: the first has 3 tiny first floor rectangular lights and is continuous with second part which has 4 larger C20 upper openings lacking dressings, (all 7 windows were small and lit dormitories). Both parts have ground floor broad segmental-arched schoolroom window with stone voussoirs flanked by yellow-brick framed rectangular windows, one now a door. Former schoolmaster's house to right is much altered: 3-light ashlar mullion window to left with relieving arch, small doorway with segmental-pointed red brick head left of centre and chimney breast to right. Three flush velux windows to roof. (The 1981 description mentions an external stone stack and a gabled 2-light mullion window above the doorway. N end 3-light mullion window to first floor and 4-light to ground floor, both with relieving arches, and small cusped lancet to ground floor right. N end of W classroom wing, set back to right, has very large pointed window with stone voussoirs and C20 glazing lighting 2 inserted floors. Near-detached single-storey classroom to rear NW, has steep slate roof and coped gables. E side has 3 2-light mullion windows with renewed glazing and 3 inserted skylights to roof. S gable end has 3-light window with pointed relieving arch, taller centre light with cusped head, blank trefoil in apex and end stack.  

All altered in conversion to flats.  

Included as a mid C19 model school of good Victorian gothic character despite alterations, and for historical interest as part of the development of formal teacher-training.