MSO10511 - The Old Schoolhouse, Yarde (Building)

A school room and teacher's house dating from 1819. It was designed by architect Richard Carver for Sir John Trevelyan of Nettlecombe Court. The school closed in 1945 and the building was used as a village hall prior to residential conversion.

School room and teacher's house now private dwelling. 1819, undergoing refurbishment at time of survey (October 1983). Architect Richard Carver for Sir John Trevelyan of Nettlecombe Court. Roughcast over random rubble, crow-stepped gable ends, concrete tiles, brick stacks in addition left. East end: 4-centred arched window, divided Gothick style tracery, recessed surround in gabled end, with single storey, 5 bay squared and coursed rubble verandah, hipped slate roof, segmental headed openings, centre bay slightly larger, end bay right and return blocked forming small room, 4-centred arched recessed plank door with side light centre, C20 window left in arched recess. Right return 5 bays mixed fenestration, left return, facing road, 3 arched Gothick traceried windows, lean to addition with inserted square window; West end, similar crow-step gable, single storey verandah and gable end window concealed by scaffolding at time of survey. (VCH Somerset, Vol 5, forthcoming). [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 264810. First Listed on 21/12/1984. [2] Stone, Render, roughcast and pebbledash walls. Gabled, parapet roof [3] Richard Carver (c1792-1862), possibly a pupil of Sir Jeffry Wyatville. He established himself in practice at Taunton, Somerset, where he held the post of county surveyor, from which he retired in 1857 and died at Wilton, near Taunton, on 1 September 1862. He also designed the school house at Milverton in Somerset in 1835. [4] A huge building in a tiny village, intended for 150 scholars in 1819 and designed by R Carver at the expense of the Lord of the Manor of Nettlecombe (who had just cleared all the village houses from the area around his estate, as they 'spoiled the view'). It is characterised by Dutch gable ends on a two storey building, perhaps intended for boarders upstairs and for the teacher's accommodation. [5] The building was visited as part of the 2012-2013 Historic Buildings survey and received a score of 6. [6] A heritage statement was prepared in February 2019 for the building. This included the information above but also that the building is believed to have been used as a village hall after the school's closure in 1945, prior to conversion into residential accommodation in the late 20th Century. [7] The building was assessed as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor’s Listed Buildings 2018-19, receiving a BAR score of 6. [8]