1879 – Tiffins Endowed Schools, Kingston on Thames, London
Perspective View including plans from the The Building News, July 18th 1879. “The above schools have been erected at the east end of the Fairfield, Kingston-on-Thames, and consist of a handsome pile of buildings, the style being Scholastic Gothic. The whole length of the building is about 1.50ft., and is built of picked yeUow stocks, having red brick bands, the plinths, stringcourses, window-sills, eaves and gable cornices, arches to doors and windows being also of red brick. The roofs are covered with stained tiles, finished with ornamental ridge tiles. The residences of the master and mistress are placed at the north and south ends of the building ; they each contain sitting-room, three bedrooms, kitchen, scullery, larder, and the requisite domestic offices. To the left of the main entrance on the ground-floor is the large school- room for boys, 50ft. long by 21ft. wide and lift, high, arranged for dual desks five rows deep, at either end of this room are two class- rooms 18ft. 6iu. by 15ft. To the right of the main entrance is the cloak-room and lavatories, fitted with Finch’s War Office lavatory range. The girls’ schoolroom is situated on the first floor over the boys’ schoolroom, and is of the same dimensions, with the exception that the height from floor to centre of roof is 23ft. The latter is an ornamented open roof, having moulded braces with circular piercings, supported on molded Portland stone corbels. Two class- rooms of the same dimensions as those for the boys are provided at each end. The girls’ lavatory and cloak-room is to the left of the main entrance ground-floor. Great care has been devoted to the sanitary, heating, and ventilation arrangements and good lighting. The whole of the walls throughout are distempered, those throughout the passages and schoolrooms are finished in pure cement oft. from the floor, finished with flush moulded bead. These last, together with the whole of the woodwork, are painted in two colours. Each school is provided with a spacious playground. The entrance of the girls’ schoolroom will be from the Albert- road, and that to the boys’ from Fairfield-road South. The schools are intended to accommodate 150 boys and 150 girls. They have been erected from the designs of Mr. John Loxwood King, Architect, 18, North-road, Surbiton. The work has been carried out by the contractor Mr. W. Front, of New Southgate ; Mr. t! Hardy being clerk of the works. The whole cost of the building when completed is estimated at about £5,000.”
Published July 20, 2009 | Last Updated December 20, 2013