Survey Data
Reg No
20854038
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Convent/nunnery
Date
1850 - 1890
Coordinates
176844, 68817
Date Recorded
21/05/2009
Date Updated
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Description
Attached seven-bay two-storey convent with gabled double-height end blocks, built c.1870, now disused. Hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods. Rendered walls with ashlar limestone quoins and string course between floors. Moulded eaves course. Round-headed opening with ashlar limestone dressings, having one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows to first floor and two-over-one pane windows to ground floor.
Appraisal
Set overlooking the harbour, this convent complex is a dominant presence in the town. Comprising a long central building, flanked by gabled double-height end bays, it is a well detailed and designed building. The limestone dressings and round-headed openings are particularly notable features. Set adjacent to the red brick industrial school and its related outbuildings, the convent complex played a significant role in the local community in the past.