Listed Building: BLUECOAT SCHOOL AND FORMER CHAPEL OF ST JOHN BAPTIST (1375966)

CHESTER CITY (EM) SJ4066 UPPER NORTHGATE STREET 1932-1/6/275 (West side) 28/07/55 Bluecoat School and former Chapel of St John Baptist (Formerly Listed as: UPPER NORTHGATE STREET The Bluecoat School) (Formerly Listed as: UPPER NORTHGATE STREET Church of Little St John) GV II* Chapel, orphanage and school, now youth centre. Founded 1700 by Bishop Stratford and built 1717. Stone-dressed orange brick; hipped grey slate roof. U-shaped. EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; symmetrical; plinth. Central block has pedimented entrance bay with 2 bays to each side; second and fourth bays recessed. Central bay has through passage in basket-arched painted-stone Tuscan case carrying shouldered round arched niche with statue of Bluecoat boy 1854 by Edward Richardson. A basket-arched 19-pane sash in pilastered case to each side of entrance; a narrower bay to each side has door of 6 fielded panels in pilastered case with blank panel above. Second-storey floorband; blank panel to entrance bay; 2 square 6-pane sashes to each side have simple stone cases with keys. Cornice; clock in central pediment; parapet with simple stone cap. Central octagonal belfry cupola has round-arched bell-openings and copper roof. Projecting south and north wing, each with 2 basket-arched 16-pane sashes to court in ground floor and 2 square 6-pane sashes to first floor, all in cases as in central block. Front of south wing has basket-arched window to former Chapel of St John, arch breaking floorband, with 2 mullions, central glazing bar, 2 horizontal bars and impost transom; case with panelled pilasters. North wing has basement window projecting above plinth and window of 46 panes, including fanlight, in case matching that to chapel. The south face has 6 fixed lights of 16 panes with 1-pane hopper inserts; 6-pane first floor sashes above, all in cases as to the front; plinth, floorband, cornice and parapet. The north face, similar to south face, has a door and windows also to basement, facing Canal Street. The rear is simply expressed. Long, narrow area to basement has quarter-landing and 10 steps, now concrete, down to basement; access to central passage bridges area. Wrought-iron railing to area has round knob-topped balusters on painted stone plinth. Brick reveals to passage arch with panelled imposts; keystone. The ground floor has 2 segmental-arched 12-pane flush sashes and an altered, deeper, 15-pane sash north of passage; a square bay window of 4;4;8;4;4-panes with pilaster mullions of stone; 2 segmental-arched 15-pane sashes and bay window, as to north, south of passage. Brick floorband; 11 recessed 9-pane fixed lights to second storey in segmental-arched openings; cornice parapet and plain stone coping; 2 lateral chimneys. INTERIOR: most details are removed. Recessed 2-panel shaped double gates with wrought-iron spikes in central through-passage. Cellars at rear with some barrel and groined vaulting in brick. A few doors of 6 fielded or 6 plain panels. A dogleg oak stair at junctions of south and north wing with central wing, with turned newels, stick balusters and oak rails. One or 2 rooms have cornices. The former Chapel of St John Baptist is stripped of features and sub-divided. Listing NGR: SJ4038066704