Bluecoat School was a former school in Sawclose in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, England. The school was founded in 1711 and operated as a charity offering free education to Anglican boys and girls. The building, which was rebuilt in 1860, is now known as Bluecoat House.

History

The school was created in 1711 by Robert Nelson when he established a public subscription to provide the funding. Nelson died three years later and a building was not started until 1722, using a design by William Killigrew.Description of Bluecoat School
, Bathnes.gov.uk, retrieved 29 July 2014 Benjamin Godwin, who gained a place at the school in the 1790s because of his mother's Anglican connections, describes how the school supplied free education to 55 pupils. The children were supplied with all materials and uniforms. Killigrew's building was demolished in 1859 and a new "Northern renaissance" style building was created. This development, by

John Elkington Gill John Elkington Gill (1821–1874) was a 19th-century architect in Bath, Somerset, England. Life Gill was born in 1821. He was partnered in the firm, Manners and Gill, with the more famous George Phillips Manners. Gill continued the latter's pra ...

and the city architect

George Phillips Manners George Phillips Manners (1789 – 28 November 1866) was a British architect, Bath City Architect from 1823 to 1862. In his early career he worked with Charles Harcourt Masters and after about 1845 was in partnership with C.E. Gill. He retired in ...

, was part of a restyling of that part of the city. This building continued as a school. It was sold in 1921 and eventually was used by the local government for offices. The building was designated as

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1975. Today it is possible to rent an apartment in the building which is now called Bluecoat House.Apartment to rent
Bluecoat House, retrieved 29 July 2014 The Sawclose immediately to the west of the building is a pedestrian-friendly

shared space Shared space is an urban design approach that minimises the segregation between modes of road user. This is done by removing features such as kerbs, road surface markings, traffic signs, and traffic lights. Hans Monderman and others have sugg ...

for pedestrians, cyclists and cars.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Defunct schools in Somerset Educational institutions established in 1711 1711 establishments in England