Site of Ramsey County Primary School (EHER 82215)

Former school buildings, now demolished. The school was built in 1901 for the Ramsey School Board and closed in 2005. The architect was J.W. Start who designed many building in north-east Essex. The builder was a local contractor, Mr Saunders. The site comprised a school, outside toilet block, playground shelter and schoolmaster's house. The playground originally had a dividing wall to separate boys from girls and infants. Extensions were added to the school in the later 20th century. The school was built of red brick in the Queen Anne style, it is one storey and has stone dressings and a red tile roof. There was a hall at the rear and a pair of projecting classrooms to the front. On the east and west sides of the classrooms there are small entrance blocks. The gable above the entrance on the east was inscribed 'BOYS' and that above the west entrance was inscribed 'GIRLS & INFANTS'. The south front comprises the two end gables of the main classrooms which have stone mouldings, copings and ball finials. Four stone tables in the gables are inscribed 'RAMSEY/BOARD/SCHOOL/1901'. There were tall moulded chimney stacks and tall rectangular windows on the side elevations of the main classrooms. The school interior has been significantly remodelled and there are no historic features remaining other than roof trusses in the hall and the upper section of a glazed partition. The schoolmaster's house was to the west of the school, it is two storeys high with a bay window to the front and a single storey extension to the back, it was of red brick with a red tile roof. At the back of the school were the open play shelters and toilets which had been closed in and modified.

Information from NRHE: These former school buildings have been disused and boarded up since 2005, when Ramsey School and Little Oakley School were amalgamated and re-housed in a new building. Ramsey County Primary School was built for the Ramsey School Board in 1901. The architect was J. W. Start (1859-1920), who designed many buildings in north-east Essex in the late 19th and early 20th century, including other schools and commercial buildings. The builder was a local contractor, Mr Saunders. The school was run by Essex County Council until it closed. The school appears on the 1923 Ordnance Survey map along with the schoolmaster's house and rear outbuildings which were presumably open play-sheds and toilets. The playground originally had a dividing wall to create separate play areas for boys and girls/infants. Brick extensions were added in the later 20th century to the rear east and west sides of the school building, and timber extensions were added to the front. Ramsey County Primary School is a red brick primary school in the Queen Anne style, with stone dressings and a red tile roof. It is a single-storey building with a hall at the rear and a pair of projecting classrooms to the front. On the east and west sides of the classrooms there are small entrance/cloakroom blocks. The south front comprises the two end gables of the main classrooms which have stone mouldings, copings and ball finials. Four stone tablets in the gables are inscribed 'RAMSEY / BOARD / SCHOOL / 1901'. Each gable has a large round-arched window flanked by smaller rectangular windows. The side elevations of the main classrooms have tall moulded chimney stacks and tall rectangular windows with moulded gables. On either side there are modern timber extensions which obscure the former entrances. The gable above the entrance on the east is inscribed 'BOYS' and that above the entrance to the west is inscribed 'GIRLS & INFANTS'. The side elevations of the entrance/cloakroom blocks have gable ends with three small windows and stone mouldings. The gable ends of the hall are similar to those of the front classrooms, with large round-arched windows. There are modern brick extensions on either side of the hall, the one on the east side including a large stack. The rear playground elevation is relatively plain. The windows are boarded up throughout but from internal inspection they appear to have their original timber frames. To the west of the school is the schoolmaster's house, of red brick with a red tile roof. It is two storeys high, of plain design, with a bay window to the front and a small single-storey extension to the rear. At the back of the school are the former open play-sheds and toilets, which have been closed in and substantially modified. The school interior has been significantly remodelled and there are no historic features left other than simple roof trusses in the hall and the upper section of a glazed partition. It was not possible to inspect the interior of the schoolmaster's house but the fireplaces have apparently been removed. While Ramsey School is clearly of value to the local community and has local historic interest, it falls short of the quality and special interest required to meet national standards for designation. It has attractive detailing in the gables and stacks, but there have been a number of extensions which detract from the overall appearance of the exterior. The interior does not have any surviving fixtures or fittings of interest and has been remodelled. The plan form is not unusual. While the schoolmaster's house survives, it is very plain and has no features of interest. The play-shed block to the rear also survives but in much modified form. From a national perspective, Ramsey School does not have sufficient design quality to merit designation, and there are no features of special interest to distinguish it from the typical rural board school. <1> The buildings have now been demolished.