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Summary

Former school building opened in 1885 to replace that at the Litten; originally the Grammar School which was only for boys, but from 1970s to 2011 a co-educational comprehensive

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Not Nationally Listed Building: 163515
  

Monument Type(s):

• GRAMMAR SCHOOL (Late 19th century to Late 20th century - 1885 AD to 1975 AD)
• COMMEMORATIVE MONUMENT (Mid 20th century - Present to Early 21st century - 1950 AD to 2011 AD)
• COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL (Late 20th century to Early 21st century - 1975 AD to 2011 AD)

Full Description

A publication produced after a visit to St Bartholomew's by The Queen in 1972 gives much information on the origins and development of the building on Enborne Road <4>. Original plans, both for the existing school and for a rejected design, have also survived <5><6>. Following changes in the organisation of the charities of St Bartholomew and John Kendrick, and the creation of a new Governing Body for the school in 1880, it became clear that the site at the Litten was too cramped for the proposed new vision. A site belonging to Kendrick's School Charity was appropriated for new buildings, to provide accommodation for 130 boys and 20 boarders. The new buildings were designed by a Mr J P Power of London <6>, cost £10,000 and were formally opened on July 28th 1885. The school was built of red brick and Corsham Down stone in a Tudor or Perpendicular style, described as "late C16 or Gothic" <8>.

St Bartholomew's Grammar School amalgamated with the Newbury Girls' School in 1975 to become a co-educational comprehensive <7>, with much new building resulting <4>. The 1885 building and additions were renamed as the 'Wormestall' site to commemorate the founder of the chantry and school, and have been predominantly used by the older pupils, mainly VI form (16-18 years).

The GIS polygon plots the approximate extent of the first grammar school, as shown on the 2nd OS mapping. This building was identified as being of local significance importance in the Newbury Historic Character Study <1><2>.

The Berkshire Record Officer holds admission registers, architectural drawings, Manager's minutes, photographs and other information for both the Grammar school from 1578 <15> and the subsequent Comprehensive from 1972<16>.

An application was made by a working group of Newbury Town Council to have the building listed; however, this was turned down by English Heritage in 2007 <9> on the grounds that Wormestall is old-fashioned in its style, lacks architectural innovation and was representative rather than exceptional. The school's expansion had compromised the architectural integrity, although there were good quality materials, and the building made a positive contribution to the streetscape.

Planning permission was granted in 2009 for the conversion and partial demolition of the school to provide 14 dwellings; a condition of consent was that the school should be subject to historic building recording before redevelopment. Site notes, photographs and floor plans of the building were provided by the developer and these were annotated and extended to show the interpretation of the historic fabric <12>.

One of the elements demolished was the Memorial Hall, built in 1950 to commemorate the dead of World War II <13> <14>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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