All Saints Junior School (EHER 38414)

A mid 19th century Church of England school and attached houses, built from red brick in Flemish-bond with Gault dressings. It retains its original steep roofs of scalloped plain tiles, alongside later roofs of plain tiles. It comprises a pair of two-storey staff houses (one with later attic) and a tall single-storey classroom block to either side, forming a 'U-shaped' plan. There are 20th century classroom blocks to the rear, added in around 1903 (western classroom), 1959 (toilet block and kiln room) and 1999 (IT suite). An air-raid shelter was also located in the grounds of the school.

September 1971. Grade II listed. A mid 19th century Church of England school and attached houses, built from red brick in Flemish-bond with Gault dressings. It retains its original steep roofs of scalloped plain tiles, alongside later roofs of plain tiles. It comprises a pair of two-storey staff houses (one with later attic) and a tall single-storey classroom block to either side - the core mid 19th century blocks form a 'U-plan' group. The pair of houses have stone parapets on the end gables and a tall central chimney stack. Each house has a cast-iron lattice window with a steep gable on the first floor and similar windows on the ground floor. Either side of the central windows is a door opening. The two flanking classroom blocks, one for each sex, slightly differ in detail but both have steep gables to the frontage and a large square window on the ground floor. The south-east block is slightly narrower than its partner and has a quatrefoil light in the gable. The north-west block has corner buttresses (angled to the rear). To the rear of the houses are small, wall-enclosed yards with pantile roofed lean-tos. To the rear of the old classrooms are 20th century classroom blocks built of red brick with gabled plain tile roofs. A similar classroom block now flanks and projects forward of the south-east block. Each original classroom block formerly had a connecting door to the adjoining house. <1> See photos <2>. April 2015. Heritage assessment. The original school was built in 1847 to a scale reduced from the original plans lodged at the Essex Record Office. Designed as a National School it was separated down the middle into a Boys' School with a School Masters house and a Girls' School with a School Mistresses house. If the original plans are to be believed the school was foreseen in 1847 to have 250 boys, 250 girls and 150 infants. White’s Directory of Essex 1848 lists George Bridge and Sarah Ann Quilter, National School. The school was increased in size between 1848 and 1875 and the style of the undated plan by Ebenezer Samuels of Maldon suggests it was done later in the period. The 1863 edition of White’s Directory of Essex lists - National Schools, Charles Edward Wright, Ann Hayward, and Sarah Ann Williams, London Road. Between 1875 and 1896 two porches were added to the western side almost certainly to divide the infants from the girls' school. A small outshot was also added to the boy’s side and the fabric of the attic implies it was inserted in this period. By 1922 the new western classroom was added and it is likely it was done around 1903 when the National School would have become All Saints School following the Education Act of 1902. By 1959 the new toilet block was added and the kiln room. The design of both is very late and it seems likely they were built close to 1959. The new IT suite was added in 1999 and as the brickwork is the same for the two small extensions in the gardens it is very probable they were built at the same time. <3> August 2015. Photographic survey. An air-raid shelter to the rear was recorded prior to demolition. See photos <4>.