Heanor Grammar School, Derbyshire - June 2020

[motionlessmike]

Heanor Technical College (as it was originally known) was designed by Derbyshire-born, school architect virtuoso George H Widdows and constructed in 1912 and functioned as such until 1976. The site then became part of South East Derbyshire College before being finally taken over by Derby College in 2010. It was due to become a studio college, but dwindling pupil numbers meant the project was canned and the Grade II listed building has been vacant since 2013. Since then Derby firm Vale Properties has had a number of planning applications declined by Amber Valley council.

This was one of them local places that’s been niggling away for a while. Very empty, but some nice architectural details - Grand entrance hall and ‘minstrels’ gallery with barrel-vaulted ceiling, wood panelling and parquet flooring throughout, half-glazed double doors with stained glass and only moderate chav/graff damage.

At the far end of the hall (above the crap graffiti) was a mural painted as a war memorial in 1925, by Frederick Cayley Robinson. The 3 piece mural is now thankfully safe & sound in storage but would've looked like this;

Heading towards the later additions at the rear of the site

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Thanks for looking

 

[Wrench]

That's bloody lovely mate

 

[BikinGlynn]

Nicely done MM

 

[verdigris]

Heanor Technical College (as it was originally known) was designed by Derbyshire-born, school architect virtuoso George H Widdows and constructed in 1912 and functioned as such until 1976. The site then became part of South East Derbyshire College before being finally taken over by Derby College in 2010. It was due to become a studio college, but dwindling pupil numbers meant the project was canned and the Grade II listed building has been vacant since 2013. Since then Derby firm Vale Properties has had a number of planning applications declined by Amber Valley council.

This was one of them local places that’s been niggling away for a while. Very empty, but some nice architectural details - Grand entrance hall and ‘minstrels’ gallery with barrel-vaulted ceiling, wood panelling and parquet flooring throughout, half-glazed double doors with stained glass and only moderate chav/graff damage.

At the far end of the hall (above the crap graffiti) was a mural painted as a war memorial in 1925, by Frederick Cayley Robinson. The 3 piece mural is now thankfully safe & sound in storage but would've looked like this;
View attachment 507382

Heading towards the later additions at the rear of the site

​

Thanks for looking

that's a nice looking building, love the round windows.
Glad the mural has been saved

 

[motionlessmike]

that's a nice looking building, love the round windows.

Yes they're quite something. I'm sure there's an actual name for them... Dormer windows perhaps?

 

[verdigris]

not sure - wish I knew more about architectural styles ! but I've seen other substantial building from around the same period - 1912 ish - which also used the round windows. Usually in the roofs/attics - so the windows jutted out.
Perhaps it was fashionable at the time, for fairly grand buildings. There is a good and flamboyant example at number 1 Pillory Street Nantwich, which has two rows of round windows - Wiki suggests the architect borrowed from the French Baroque style. Thank goodness it's listed.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

The round windows in/on the roof are what are known as 'Dormer' windows. All the rage pre 1914, in the 20's the design was simplified to a square or rectangular shape. This was due to the Brits moving away from Continental Europe and its connotations of War. A move sadly; that allowed even more horrors be perpetrated and more young men to be sacrificed!