At first glance, this building looks more like a village than a single building, with a lively collection of different roof shapes, building levels and varied elevations. It is Penkhull Infants School which was built as a board school in 1896 by Robert Scrivener & Sons of Hanley. It has in the past had approval to be demolished but this pre-dates its listing (in 2018) at Grade II (LEN: 1453037).
Red brick with stone dressings and slate roofs, it has two sturdy towers set back either side of the front elevation with decorated stone friezes in which the name and date of the school are given. One tower has a pyramidal roof, the other a similar roof save for a timber framed break to accommodate the school bell. It is an immensely charming example of the use of a Vernacular style with Arts & Crafts detailing and the listing entry notes that much of the original layout survives complete with Minton Hollins tiles inside.
The school stands on a large triangular site in a residential area but has been disused for many years. It is boarded up and the playground appears to be serving as a local car park. We added it to the Buildings at Risk register last year.
