Rhes y Cae VP School

Photographic Record of the Building

Introduction

This report has been produced by Richard Owen, on behalf of the developer Jones & Morrell Ltd to provide a record of the building known as Rhes y Cae VP School.

Planning Permission for the school to be converted into two separate holiday cottages under Application Reference 058631 and granted on the 13th August 2019 requests a photographic record is produced.

Date of Issue : 10th June 2020

Contents

1.1 Introductory Statement 1.2 Location of the property 1.3 Statutory Designation 1.4 Summary Statement 1.5 Plans 1.5.1 Extract from County Council Development Plan 2015, with description of the village and village plan 1.5.2 Location Plan 1.5.3 Front and Rear Elevations 1.5.4 Ground floor plan 1.5.5 Side elevations 1.5.6 Site Plan 1.6 Photographs 1.6.1 IMG_0053.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing NE 1.6.2 IMG_0055.jpg Front elevation facing SE 1.6.3 IMG_0056.jpg Front elevation facing SE showing newer extension 1.6.4 IMG_0057.jpg Front elevation facing SE 1.6.5 IMG_0058.jpg Front elevation facing SE with side door entrance 1.6.6 IMG_0059.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW 1.6.7 IMG_0060.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW 1.6.8 IMG_0061.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW detail of inscription stone 1.6.9 IMG_0062.jpg Rear elevation facing NW 1.6.10 IMG_0063.jpg Rear elevation facing NW 1.6.11 IMG_0064.jpg Rear elevation facing NW

1.1 Introductory Statement

Rhes y Cae VP School was built in 1898 and closed in 2013 due to lack of pupil numbers. It was purchased from the Grosvenor Estate, Eaton Estate Office, Ecclestone, Chester CH4 9ET in December 2017 by Jones & Morrell Ltd of Hew House, Ruthin Castle Grounds, Castle Street, Ruthin, LL15 2NZ. Planning permission was granted in August 2019 to convert the building into two separate holiday cottages.

1.2 Location of the Property

The property is located in the village of Rhes y Cae. The full address is Rhes y Cae VP School, Rhes y Cae, Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 8JQ.

The property has been divided now into two cottages, called Heddwcha (referred to as Cottage 1 within the report) and Llonyddwcha (referred to as Cottage 2 in the report)

The grid reference for the property is:

X Co-ordinate : 318867 Y Co-ordinate : 370947

The NPRN is 418717

The map reference is SJ17SE and the Grid Reference is SJ1902071055

1.3 Statutory Designation

There is no formal statutory designation for the building. It is recorded on the National Monuments Record for as “Former Estate School Rhes y Cae”.

A link to the location and note is here: https://historicwales.gov.uk/#zoom=7&lat=370988.43941&lon=319020.273&layers=BTTFFTTFFTTT

The summary of the school within the National Monuments of Wales web site is here:

https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/418717/details/former-estate-school-rhes-y-cae

1.4 Summary Statement

Site Description.

The former school at Rhes y Cae was built in 1898 by Douglas for the Westminster Estate. On the first edition OS 25" map, FL IX. 6 of 1875, a building marked as 'Engine House' appears on the site. By the second edition map of 1899 a building is mapped on the site but is not named, but by the third edition of the map, published in 1912, the building is marked as a 'School'. On the modern map, the site is marked as 'Rhes-y-Cae Voluntary Primary School'

There are some archive records within the Coflein web site, these being photographs of the front elevation and inscription stone. Their catalogue numbers are 572018, 572020, 574986, 572028 and 572019. They are all photos within the Malcolm Seaborne Collection Record.

The building was completed in 1898 and until 2013 was used as a primary school. The village of Rhes y Cae is small and pupil numbers dwindled to a point where the local council (Flintshire County Council (https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/Home.aspx) decided to close the school.

The school was owned until December 2017 by the Grosvenor Estate (https://www.grosvenorestate.com/) and it is recommended that the reader contact the Estate Office for further information on their ownership and record of the building.

The building lay empty until In December 2017, the building was purchased by Jones & Morrell Ltd of Hew House, Ruthin Castle Grounds, Castle Street, Ruthin, LL15 2NZ. Planning permission was granted to convert the building into two holiday cottages.

At some point in the past the property was subject to alteration and extension. This included :

The addition of white uPVC windows, door and roof windows. A side extension to the NE side elevation, The construction of a oil tank housing and a boiler room to the rear (NW) elevation.

These last two items are differentiated from the original construction as they are rendered.

The original construction is from natural stone and slate pitched roof.

There were no artefacts or items of interest retained within the building.

1.5 Plans

The following pages include the plans of the building as they existed in 2018, prior to conversion works commencing.

The first plan is the location of the property and how it has been split into the two cottages.

There then follows existing front and rear elevations, existing ground floor, existing side elevations and existing site plan

Flintshire Local Development Plan

RHES Y CAE - SETTLEMENT SERVICE AUDIT Settlement Commentary Rhes y Cae is a very small rural settlement situated on Mountain and is surrounded by common land. It is a compact village and easily definable on a map. Rhes y Cae has few services and facilities. The School closed some years ago and residents are reliant upon services within nearby towns and villages including Mold. The settlement lies within an isolated rural area of Flintshire, which in combination with poor service provision and infrequent bus services makes it difficult to access services without private transport.

Settlement No. of Dwellings 2000 UDP Baseline Figure 70 2014 Housing Land Study 86

Settlement Population 2001 Census 301 2011 Census 355

Summary of Recorded Service Provision The survey work was undertaken in November 2014 and has since been updated to take account of new information or feedback from Members / Town and Councils.

Education Community Yes, Village Facilities Leisure & Recreation centre / hall Hall Pre-School / No Facilities Nursery Indoor leisure No Civic offices / No Provision centre / facility Primary No, nearest sports facility Library Mobile Library school Lixwm (school Swimming No Service, closed in RYC) pool Outside the Formal No OAP Secondary No outdoor bungalows. Fri school sports facility 2.45-3.45pm College No Formal Yes, Play Area once / twice outdoor play month (varies) Other No facility /area Education Hospital No Facility Community & Health Doctors No surgery

Flintshire County Council – Planning Policy December 2015

Flintshire Local Development Plan

Dentist No Bank/Building No Rail station No surgery Society Pharmacy No Free Standing No Bus station / Yes of a Bank - stop Place of Yes, Christ Cashpoint Bus service "Yes, Bus worship church – Public house Miners Arms frequency routes 14C and Church in / club / (presently 127 Wales; Chapel restaurant closed) 14C – 3 buses a Post office No day to both Retail & Commercial Related Holywell and Supermarket No Post box Yes Mold (Mon to Sat) Non-food No Petrol Filling No Cycle route No retail units Station Convenience No Access to No, accessed shop Employment main highway via rural roads Other shops No Employment No network

Café / Take No away Transport

Broadband Provision According to the latest OFCOM data (2013) Rhes Y Cae post codes (where data is available) have a median average broadband range of 1.7-5.8 mega-bytes per second with an average of 5mbps. This poor level of broadband provision will adversely impact the ability of local residents and businesses alike whether in day to day business activities or for accessing online services such as banking, post office services or online shopping. Other Comments None.

Previous Surveys of Service Provision

Over the last fifteen years the bakers/general shop and the local school have both closed.

Community Health / Centre & or Public General PFS and Post Medical other Educational Year of Survey House Shop Shop Office Cashpoint Facility Building Facility 2000 (UDP Survey) 1 na 1 2006 (Student Survey) 1 - - - na - - 1 2010 (Pub is the Hub Survey) 1 1 - - - - 1 1

Flintshire County Council – Planning Policy December 2015

Flintshire Local Development Plan

Mapping Service Provision

The service provision within the village has been mapped for illustrative purposes and is presented overleaf. As the image suggests service provision in Rhes y Cae is limited.

Flintshire County Council – Planning Policy December 2015

Flintshire Local Development Plan

Flintshire County Council – Planning Policy December 2015

PROPOSED CONVERSION OF RHESYCAE SCHOOL TO HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

E X I S T I N G PROPOSED CONVERSION OF RHESYCAE SCHOOL TO HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION PROPOSED CONVERSION OF RHESYCAE SCHOOL TO HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

E X I S T I N G PROPOSED CONVERSION OF RHESYCAE SCHOOL TO HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION 4*5&1-"/ &9*45*/(

1.6 Photographs

The following photographs are included

Image Reference Description

1.6.1 IMG_0053.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing NE 1.6.2 IMG_0055.jpg Front elevation facing SE 1.6.3 IMG_0056.jpg Front elevation facing SE showing newer extension 1.6.4 IMG_0057.jpg Front elevation facing SE 1.6.5 IMG_0058.jpg Front elevation facing SE with side door entrance 1.6.6 IMG_0059.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW 1.6.7 IMG_0060.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW 1.6.8 IMG_0061.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW detail of inscription stone 1.6.9 IMG_0062.jpg Rear elevation facing NW 1.6.10 IMG_0063.jpg Rear elevation facing NW 1.6.11 IMG_0064.jpg Rear elevation facing NW

1.6.1 IMG_0053.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing NE

1.6.2 IMG_0055.jpg Front elevation facing SE

1.6.3 IMG_0056.jpg Front elevation facing SE showing newer extension

1.6.4 IMG_0057.jpg Front elevation facing SE

1.6.5 IMG_0058.jpg Front elevation facing SE with side door entrance

1.6.6 IMG_0059.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW

1.6.7 IMG_0060.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW

1.6.8 IMG_0061.jpg Side (gable) elevation facing SW detail of inscription stone

1.6.9 IMG_0062.jpg Rear elevation facing NW

1.6.10 IMG_0063.jpg Rear elevation facing NW

1.6.11 IMG_0064.jpg Rear elevation facing NW