More information : The former Music School at Sherborne School for Boys, the Scola Musicæ, was built in 1926-27 to a design by the Edwardian architect Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (1856-1942). Blomfield¿s other commissions for Sherborne School for Boys include the Carrington Building of 1909-10 (designated at Grade II [Listed Building number 480227]), the North Block built in two phases in 1913 and 1923 (designated at Grade II [Listed Building number 103832]), a War Memorial added in 1922 to the Medieval chapel (designated at Grade I [Listed Building number 103828) and a gymnasium. It is claimed that the walled garden in which the Music School stands formed part of the adjacent Abbey Grange, which originates from the 15th century (designated at Grade II, [Listed Building number 104000, AMIE NMR number 1356987]).
The former Music School is first marked on the Ordnance Survey map published in 1928. A sequence of design drawings by Blomfield for the Music School, dated August, September and November 1925, show a rectangular six-bay building standing in a narrow plot, with a pitched roof and a central roof lantern. They also show the front elevation with the main entrance flanked by windows and a decorative gable above. The ground-floor plans show a small stairwell and cloakroom coming off a small lobby that gives access to a large hall or recital room. At first-floor level is a Director¿s Room and twelve small tuition rooms situated along either side of a central corridor. In January 1926 Blomfield was asked to produce a revised and less costly scheme. It appears that as a result the ground-floor windows and gable to the entrance front were omitted and the floor plans were reversed, with the recital room at first-floor level and the tuition rooms on the ground floor. The revised plans were accepted by the School and approved by the Government Education Board. Work started in February 1926 by Ringmer Building Contractors from Sussex and the music school was built as specified. The final scheme was signed off by Blomfield on 17 November 1927. Fellows (1985), describes the building as `a modest ¿Wrenaissance¿ music school¿. The Sherborne Conservation Area Appraisal describes the building as `Pre-War Lutyenesque classical¿ and considers it an `accomplished design¿. It is claimed that the Music School is Blomfield¿s only small scale example of his Wrenaissance style.
A purpose-built music school of 1926-1927 in Neo-Georgian style to a design by the Edwardian architect Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield (1856-1942).
The building is constructed in rough-cast Portland cement rendered brick with Hamstone plinth, quoins and banding. It has a pitched, slightly overhanging, roof covered in red plain tiles with a Portland cement rendered ridge stack to the west and an octagonal glazed and leaded cupola with weathervane to the centre.
The building has a rectangular plan with a small entrance hall flanked by a stairwell and cloakroom, leading to a central corridor lined with small tuition rooms. The corridor ends with a pair of opposing doors, set at an angle, which give access to two larger tuition rooms to the rear. The first floor contains a small landing with doors to a former Director¿s Room to the front, and a large recital room.
The symmetrical front has a pair of central oak doors, partly glazed, set within a Hamstone architrave with a pediment resting on scrolled brackets enclosing a plain frieze inscribed with the words `SCHOLA MUSICÆ¿, with three six-over-six pane sash windows set above full width Hamstone banding. Flanking Portland cement-rendered and stone-capped brick walls to either side of the front elevation with six-pane panelled doors, give access to the rear garden. The rear elevation is almost identical, but has a late 20th century fire escape with the first-floor central - and ground floor right-hand - sash window now replaced by doors. The side elevations (only partly visible due to the narrowness of the enclosed garden) are identical and are seven bays wide. The bays are emphasised by full height buttresses and have seven six-over-six pane sash windows to each floor with Hamstone banding above and below.
Plain moulded cornices, architraves and skirting throughout with half-glazed (multi-pane) doors to the tuition rooms and radiators surviving throughout. The plain stairs have a chunky, closed balustrade to the landing, of stuccoed brick with curved Hamstone capping. The former Director¿s Room on the first floor contained a plain cast-iron fire surround with grate, which was recently removed from its original position. Although it stands against the adjacent wall it is no longer a fixed feature. The plain recital room or concert hall has a plastered ceiling and is lit from above by the central glazed cupola. It contains no further (decorative) features of note.
The Music School stands in a long and narrow walled garden. The west front has a court-yard with a central flagstone path enclosed to the front by dwarf walls curving inwards to a pair of small piers with ball finials. The north-west side of the courtyard is enclosed by an open, flat-roofed shelter or bicycle store, resting on three chamfered timber posts set on stone corbels.
Buildings or rooms for music education and instrumental tuition have their origins in choir schools of cathedrals and monastic foundations, and they were present in many schools of late-Medieval foundation. At a lesser level, instrumental and vocal tuition went on in private houses, and it is from these educational origins that the earliest public venues emerged. From the late 18th century onwards, due to the popularity and respectability of music-making by the middle-classes, the number of private music academies increased. At the same time a growing distinction between amateur and professional musicians developed, resulting in the building of purpose-built music colleges and conservatoires in larger cities from the second half of the 19th century. During this period an enormous growth in private schools took place, in which the broadened curricula included music. Detached, purpose-built music schools were preferred for acoustic reasons, though in practice only the most affluent schools could afford a separate building. For these schools architecture was a crucial means of conferring a suitably venerable image, and where expenses allowed, new buildings were commissioned from prominent architects.
In accordance with the Principles of Selection for Designating Buildings (2010) and English Heritage¿s Selection Guide for Educational Buildings (2007), greater selection is needed when assessing school buildings dating from the period 1870 to 1945. Key considerations are completeness and the quality of design and architectural detailing, its date and the rarity of the type of school building in question. External architectural quality is usually the most striking feature of school buildings for this period but interiors matter too. These were generally plain and increasingly standardised and exceptions can thus add interest. Surviving ancillary structures such as walls, railings and gates can also enhance the case for designation.
The former Music School in Sherborne has survived mostly intact, despite the added fire escape to the rear which has resulted in the loss of two of its sash windows. It also has a clear degree of architectural merit, expressing Blomfield¿s thorough knowledge and successful interpretation of 18 architecture. The building¿s impressive roof with its elegant lantern, gives it a strong architectural presence in Sherborne, whilst at street level its entrance front with its enclosed courtyard and bicycle shed, give it a pleasing and almost domestic appearance.
However, the overall success of the design has been compromised. The building plot for which Blomfield was asked to design the Music School is very narrow and enclosed by an existing garden wall. Although the manner in which the building was set back from the road, with its courtyard and flanking walls, did to some extent counteract this constraint, in reality the side elevations remained obscured, with the second floor windows only visible from the top of Hospital Lane. Additionally, due to Sherborne School finding the project becoming too costly, the music school was not built as originally intended by Blomfield. Although this was not an unusual situation for architects given the economic restraints of the inter-war period, and Blomfield did indeed sign off the final work drawings, the compromises that were made were drastic and most of the intended architectural detailing and decoration was omitted in the building¿s final execution. This has mostly affected the front elevation, which was originally intended, as shown in Blomfield¿s drawings of 1925, to have a tall decorative frontispiece and windows to the ground floor. With the ommission of the frontispiece, the intended symmetry of the façade has been affected, and the row of small sash windows at first floor level replacing the intended gable, appear out of proportion above the retained scale of the portal.
The interior of the Music School, despite the unfortunate removal of its only fireplace, retains its original layout and most of its fixtures and fittings. The apparent last minute exchange of the floor lay-outs does not appear to have had a negative impact on the overall design, and in fact, moving the recital room or hall to the first floor, and thus using the height of the roof, must have been beneficial to its acoustics. Nevertheless, the interior is very plain and its features are of a standard design. This is especially true for the recital room where one would, because of its function, expect a greater degree of architectural detailing and higher quality finishes. Its plastered ceiling with late 20th century strip lights also appears to have been altered, with the central lantern now being the only feature adding some interest.
As such, it is clear that the Music School can not be seen as amongst the most successful and interesting buildings designed by Blomfield. Dating from 1926-27, it is a late example of Blomfield¿s educational work, the earliest dating back to the 1880s. Although a purpose-built music school is a relatively uncommon building type, Blomfield did design one in 1899 for Haileybury College in Hertfordshire, which is designated at Grade II. Although smaller, this building clearly displays a much greater degree of architectural quality in its detailing. Also, for a school building of 1926-27, the Music School at Sherborne School does not display a sufficient level of innovation in its design. This is perhaps most evident when comparing it with that of Blomfield¿s Bradby Hall (a purpose built gymnasium and workshops, designated at Grade II) of 1888, at Haileybury College. Though a much larger building, it has a very similar roof with lantern and full height buttresses to the side elevations. This clearly illustrates how for the Music School at Sherborne School, completed almost 40 years later, Blomfield used existing ideas and a well-established architectural idiom.
It is true that the Music School at Sherborne has group value with the other buildings at Sherborne School for Boys, many of which are designated, and some of these also by Blomfield. However, this does not override the fact that the building in its own right would have to have sufficient architectural interest in a national context. In this case, the Music School in Sherborne, as an early 20th century building, lacks the level of architectural interest, innovation and quality of its detailing that is needed for it to merit designation. Nevertheless, in a local context it remains a strong design by an important architect. The Music School also continues to make a very positive contribution to its surrounding area, and in particular to the architectural and historic interest of the historic school buildings at Sherborne School, a number of which are designated and some of which are also to Blomfield¿s design. (1)
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