Register for Buildings and Sites of Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Importance in Jersey
St Martin’s School, La Rue de la Croix au Maitre, St Martin
This report has been prepared by Jersey Heritage as part of its responsibility under a Service Level Agreement to provide reports and recommendations to the Minister for Planning and Environment on the architectural, historical and archaeological significance of buildings and sites.
The assessment and recommendation are made in accordance with the existing criteria for assessment and designation of historic buildings. The report includes the views and advice offered by the Ministerial Registration and Listing Advisory Group.
Author of report: Roger Hills BA(Hons) MA DipBldgCons (RICS) IHBC Head of Historic Buildings
Date of report: 22nd June 2009
File ref: MN0015
Current status
Not registered.
Relevant interests of the site (see assessment form for more detail)
Historic interest
Victorian Parish School, 1899/1900. St Martin’s School is of historical and cultural significance to Jersey as one of the nine parish schools that were built in the late Victorian period as a result of The Law on Primary Instruction, 1894. This law introduced compulsory education for all children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and required all parishes to provide a place of education - replacing the dozens of small private schools that previously existed across the island.
St Martin Parish Assembly met in 1897 to consider how to respond to the law and resolved to proceed with the building of a school for boys and girls near to the Parish Church. Three vergees of land, which formed part of a field known as Le Jardin du Shed ou Grand Jardin, were soon after purchased from Charles Pallot. The Assembly voted the sum of £500 to cover the costs of the transaction and authorised the production and circulation of 1 pound notes guaranteed by the Parish.
Plans for the new school were agreed with Whitehall over the next two years, and on 13th July 1899 the Assembly accepted a tender by Messrs Springate and Baker - builders based at Gorey.
A commemoration stone was laid on 19th October 1899 in the presence of Connétable Le Brun - a lead-sealed safe being placed behind the stone containing a time capsule including documents, coins and postage stamps of the period. The school opened on 1st October 1900 with 59 pupils, and has continued to provide an education for children from the parish to this day.
Architectural interest
The buildings are of interest as a purpose-built Victorian primary school. The design of the buildings and the layout of the site are illustrative both of late Victorian school architecture and attitudes towards education - with separate classrooms and entrances for boys and girls, and on-site accommodation for the head teacher.
The school buildings are single-storey, rendered in imitation ashlar with cement ornamentation and a slate roof. The school hall - originally in the centre of the range - has been reconfigured as the main entrance with the 1899 commemoration stone set above the doorway. This is flanked by a symmetrical pair of wings of roughly T-plan with projecting gables to the front and rear, and an end gable - each with a raised cement verge and small pedimented kneelers carried on simple scroll brackets. The majority of windows are 9-pane timber sashes. Each wing has a square framed cement plaque on the façade - now blank but presumably originally ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ - above a blocked doorway.
Detached on the east of the site is a 2-storey school house in vaguely Victorian Gothic style, with a tall projecting central gable on brackets above the entrance, bay windows, and gables matching the school. The school is fronted by a squared granite boundary wall incorporating three gateways with dressed piers.
The 1899/1900 school substantially retains its original external form and most of its original architectural detailing. The most notable alteration is the reconfiguration of the central entrance hall, and the loss of chimneystacks. The school house has also lost its chimneystacks and has modern doors and windows.
There are a number of late 20th century extensions and annexes to the rear of the school - including a 1970s hall in matching style to the original - and various other additions. These illustrate how the school has expanded and evolved over the past 100 years but are not considered to be of architectural or historical interest.
Scenic interest / group value
The range of Victorian school buildings makes a positive contribution to the scenic value of La Rue de la Croix au Maitre. The school is of historical group value with the 8 other primary schools that were constructed between 1897 and 1901 as a direct result of the 1894 Law, namely: St Brelade (La Moye), St Saviour, St Helier (First Tower), St Lawrence, St Mary, St John, St Clement and St Peter (Besco Laundry building).
Advice offered by MRLAG (and others if stated)
MRLAG discussed St Martin’s School at its meeting on 8th June 2009. Members noted the interests of the site as set out in the assessment report and were unanimous that the original late Victorian school should be registered as a BLI.
Jersey Heritage recommendation
St Martin’s School is of interest as a purpose-built late Victorian primary school which is of historical and cultural significance in a local context. The architectural design of the buildings and the layout of the site are illustrative both of late Victorian school architecture and attitudes towards education in that period. It is therefore recommended that the original part of the school site, as shown on the attached plan, is registered as a Building of Local Interest.
Justification relating to criteria
The registration of St Martin’s School as a BLI is in accordance with the existing criteria for assessment and designation of historic buildings:
- the original school buildings substantially retain their historic form and detail, or sufficient for that form and detail to be readily recovered from surviving evidence, and so make a significant and positive contribution to the architectural and historical identity, character and amenity of Jersey;
- the buildings are significant for their architectural design as a late Victorian school;
- the school is illustrative of a significant aspect of Jersey’s social and cultural history.