Highlands College Great Hall (former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour

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A decision made (03/08/2007) regarding: Highlands College Great Hall (former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour.

Subject:	Highlands College Great Hall (Former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour
Decision ref:	MD-PE-2007-0192	Exempt clause(s):		None
Type of report:	Written and oral	Report file ref:		SA0295
Person giving report (if oral): Curator of Historic Buildings, Jersey Heritage Trust
Written report – author: Curator of Historic Buildings, Jersey Heritage Trust
Written Report Title: List of Sites of Special Interest: Highlands College Great Hall (Former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour – Notice of Intention to List
Decision(s): The Minister for Planning and Environment determined that; · a Notice of Intention to List Highlands College Great Hall (Former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour as a Site of Special Interest shall be served on the owner/s of the site
Reason(s) for decision: · The special interest of Highlands College Great Hall (Former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour, as defined and assessed relative to the published criteria for selection, justifies its inclusion on the List of Sites of Special Interest in accordance with the provisions and purposes of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002;  The proposal accords with the States Strategic Plan commitment of protecting and sympathetically managing the Island’s built heritage assets.
Action required: · The Notice of Intention is to be served in accordance with the requirements of the Law; · No sooner than 28 days after the date of the service of the Notice of Intention to List, a further report will be brought back to the Minister relative to any representations received.
Signature: Minister			Date of Decision: 3 August 2007

Highlands College Great Hall (former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour - Intention to List.

List of Site of Special Interest: Highlands College Great Hall (Former Chapel), Highlands Lane, St. Saviour – Notice of Intention to List

This report has been prepared by the Jersey Heritage Trust as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the registration of historic buildings and sites.

The Planning and Environment Department requested in June 2007 that the Jersey Heritage Trust assess the architectural, historical and other interests of Highlands College Great Hall ahead of discussions with the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.

Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Curator of Historic Buildings

Date of report: 17 July 2007

File ref: SA0295

Relevant interests of the site (also see schedule)

Highlands College Great Hall (former chapel) is considered to be of special architectural, historical and artistic interest. The former chapel was designed by Jersey architect Adolphus Curry and built by local stonemasons A Le Mottée, and joiners Messrs Blampied of Oxford Road, being consecrated on Christmas Day 1896. The chapel is situated on the first and second floors at the centre of Highlands College - founded by the Jesuits of Maison St Louis to house a French naval training school.

The chapel has many notable architectural features of interest including the west façade with decorative details reflecting the college's history as a naval college and Catholic institution. Tall pilasters carry a pair of large gables with anchor emblems and pediments. There is a series of ornate window openings with pediments and moulded surrounds, and at the top of the façade is an ornate niche with a statue of the Madonna and Child.

The internal decoration is Perpendicular Gothic featuring a magnificent hammer beam roof and stained glass windows. There are two rows of clerestory lighting and an ornate pitch pine gallery on three sides carried on slender wooden columns. A large limestone arch leads into the chancel which has a fine wood vaulted ceiling and an east window filled with stained glass representations of various saints. The chapel was extended by 23 feet in 1913, partly on a bridge over the back yard. The religious furnishings were removed when it was converted to the college concert hall but still in place is a rare Cavaillé-Coll organ at the west end of the gallery donated in 1914.

Advice received (MRLAG or others)

Highlands College Great Hall is currently registered as a pSSI. The special interest of the building was considered by MRLAG at its meeting on 9 July 2007. Members unanimously concurred with the prepared SSI schedule and plan.

JHT recommendation

It is recommended that the Minister for Planning and Environment:

· confirm the intention to List Highlands College Great Hall, as defined in the attached schedule, as a Site of Special Interest under the provisions of Article 51(2)(b) Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002 by virtue of its special interest as described in the same schedule;

 approve the serving of the Intention to List Notice in accord with the requirements of the Law

Justification relating to criteria

The special interest of Highlands College Great Hall, as defined and assessed relative to the published criteria for selection, justifies its inclusion on the List of Sites of Special Interest in accordance with the provisions and purposes of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002.

Attachments

SSI schedule and plan

Photographs