19th century school, Dunmow Infants School, Rosemary Lane (EHER 47382)

A programme of historic building recording was undertaken in 2010 at Dunmow Infants School prior to residential development of the site. The main element of the survey was to record the early Victorian schoolhouse to English Heritage level 3.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: 1844 Infants School built to rectangular plan. The building is constructed in red brick in Flemish bond with yellow brick dressings and quoins to the main facade. The roof of the main body of the building is hipped slate, with a lean-to at the north end, also in slate. The windows have decorative surrounds in yellow brick. A stone insert carved with GIRLS is set between the first and second windows and one carved with BOYS between the fifth and sixth windows. The centre bay has a stone insert carved with BRITISH SCHOOLS A.D. 1844. There are no doors on this facade. Great Dunmow Infants School was previously known as the Council School. When a new school was built on the site the 1844 building became a handicrafts centre. <1> September 2010. Level 3 building survey. A programme of historic building recording was undertaken at Dunmow Infants School prior to residential development of the site. The main element of the survey was to record the early Victorian schoolhouse to English Heritage level 3 standard, prior to residential conversion. The two other elements, a modern block built in 1958 and more recent school buildings, were recorded to a lower level, prior to demolition. Dunmow Infants School began as a British School in 1844. The original layout of the building had two main classrooms and entrance lobbies either end for boys and girls, who had their own classrooms. A third smaller classroom was located in the girls lobby area, with galleried seating, perhaps for the youngest pupils. This part of the school was later demolished when a new kitchen block was constructed. The exterior is fairly typical of small Victorian institutions, well-built in red brick with gault brick dressings and a slate roof and high windows and a ‘Jacobean style’. Formal entry points for boys and girls were located either end of the building and a play area at the rear and a small toilet block, which no longer survive. Unfortunately the interior retains little of its Victorian character, used latterly as the schools gym, changing rooms and boiler room; most likely doubled up as the dining/assembly hall as well. The 1958 secondary school building is quite typical of an urban school for older pupils, adopting a rather austere bungaloid aspect with a roof lantern providing the main architectural feature. The layout is an established form with an entrance/reception area at one end of a long corridor with large, well-lit classrooms either side and first floor staff and store rooms. The most recently-added school buildings (1980s/90s) provided large, modern and more comfortable classrooms and united the two older blocks into a more integrated whole. <2>