| Summary : Whittington Moor Infants School in Chesterfield was built in 1908 to a design by George H Widdows. It has an H-plan comprising a tall single-storey central hall block, across which, to the front and rear extend triple-gabled classroom wings. It is built of red brick with plain clay-tiled roofs, and although most timber window frames survive to the street elevation, those to the rear range have been replaced in UPVC. There appear to have been verandah corridors to the sides of the Hall range, but these have been truncated and partially replaced by flat-roofed replacement structures, and the remaining parts of the corridors enclosed. Part of the school is still occupied by Derbyshire County Council's Education Department, and in this area, there have been internal alterations and an extension to the east end of the street frontage range. The rear section is now used as small industrial units, and a new garage block has been erected in the former playground. |
More information : The former Whittington Moor Infants School is being considered for listing as part of a thematic survey of the surviving schools designed by George Widdows in Derbyshire in 1906-1936. George Widdows (1871-46) is nationally acknowledged as a leading designer of schools and an exponent of advanced ideas on school planning. He was appointed as architect to Derbyshire County Council's Education Committee in 1904, and in 1910 was appointed its Chief Architect. He retired in 1936, by which time he had designed some sixty elementary and seventeen secondary schools. Nine of these have already been listed.
Widdows' revolutionary plan forms responded to concerns about health and hygiene in schools, and introduced cross ventilation and sunshine. There are four characteristic plans for the elementary schools built before 1914. The earliest was the 'marching corridor' type. Only five schools were built to this experimental and rather expensive plan. The second type was linear and more standardised, with a large classroom at either end and a freestanding hall to the rear. The earliest examples of this type date from around 1910-11. The third type is the most dramatic, being butterfly plans with pairs of classrooms leading from the corners of a central hall. The fourth type was designed for awkward sites, and has a corner hall, octagonal in plan. The secondary schools were larger and had a greater variety of rooms, with large assembly halls, laboratories and art rooms as well as classrooms, and the buildings have a greater architectural presence.
Whittington Moor Infants School in Chesterfield was built in 1908. It has an H-plan comprising a tall single-storey central hall block, across which, to the front and rear extend triple-gabled classroom wings. It is built of red brick with plain clay-tiled roofs, and although most timber window frames survive to the street elevation, those to the rear range have been replaced in UPVC. There appear to have been verandah corridors to the sides of the Hall range, but these have been truncated and partially replaced by flat-roofed replacement structures, and the remaining parts of the corridors enclosed. Part of the school is still occupied by Derbyshire County Council's Education Department, and in this area, there have been internal alterations and an extension to the east end of the street frontage range. The rear section is now used as small industrial units, and a new garage block has been erected in the former playground. In the context of the thematic survey of Widdows' schools, the former Whittington Moor Infants School is considered too altered to merit a listing recommendation. (1) |