The Old School Room in
Chew Magna
Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,149.
To the south of the village is Chew ...
,
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, England was built around 1510. It is a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
It was built as a church house for the neighbouring
Church of St Andrew St. Andrew's Church, Church of St Andrew, or variants thereof, may refer to:
Albania
* St. Andrew's Church, Himarë
Australia Australian Capital Territory
* St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Canberra, founded by John Walker (Presbyterian minis ...
. The upstairs room was the local school from the mid or early 15th century, with the village
poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy.
Workhouses
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), "workhouse" has been the more ...
below. The ground floor was divided into cubicles which housed the destitute and occasionally prisoners. It also served as the meeting place of the
Court leet
The court leet was a historical court baron (a type of manorial court) of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts.
Etymo ...
.
The building was declared unsafe in 1965. In 1971 the building underwent major renovation, which included replacement of oak beams supporting the upper floor were replaced and preservation work on the wooden roof carried out.
The building was then used as a youth club until it was purchased by the parish council in 1981 as a village hall. Since then it has been a venue for social activity in the village.
References
External links
* {{EW charity, 282301, Chew Magna Old School Room Charity
Grade II* listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset