Summary
Former gymnasium, now lecture theatre. 1909-13 by Birmingham architects’ practice Crouch, Butler & Savage. Red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings, plain tile roof with semi-circular ridge tiles. Late-C17 revival style (Wrennaissance style).
Reasons for Designation
The Ryton Lecture Theatre, University of Hull, of 1909-1913 by Crouch, Butler & Savage is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the building formed a component of the newly founded City of Hull Municipal Training College, an impressive complex denoting civic pride in the provision of this further education institution, and was built as a gymnasium, addressing a contemporary concern about the poor level of fitness of young men;
* Architects: the college buildings were designed by Birmingham architects’ practice Crouch, Butler & Savage, a well-regarded practice with a number of listed buildings to their name;
* Group value: the building has a functional and architectural group value with the other original buildings forming the City of Hull Municipal Training College.
History
The Ryton Lecture Theatre was originally built in 1909-1913 as a gymnasium for the City of Hull Municipal Training College. It was designed as one of a group of buildings by the Birmingham architects’ practice of Crouch, Butler & Savage which were built in a late-C17 revival style (Wrennaissance style) with Baroque influences. The group is first shown on the Epoch 3 1:2500 Ordnance Survey map published in 1928. By 1992 the former college had become part of the University of Humberside which subsequently became part of the University of Lincoln in 2001. In September 2003 the Hull campus was acquired by the University of Hull, whose main campus on Cottingham Road lays directly adjacent.
At an unknown date prior to 1994 the gymnasium was converted into a lecture theatre. This has been refurbished in the C21. A modern, single-storey garage has been built against the west, side elevation linking the original building to a modern two-storey extension. A modern boiler house has also been built against the rear elevation.
Details
Former gymnasium, now lecture theatre. 1909-13 by Birmingham architects’ practice Crouch, Butler & Savage. Red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings, plain tile roof with semi-circular ridge tiles. Late-C17 revival style (Wrennaissance style).
PLAN: large five-bay room with inserted staircase in bay at east end and separate lower end bays, probably former changing rooms, now storage.
EXTERIOR
The building is of a tall single storey of five bays with a hipped roof and a central square latticework ventilator, flanked by lower, single-storey pavilion blocks with flat roofs. It is built in brick in English bond with ashlar stone dressings. The south, front elevation has five taller central bays. The slightly projecting outer bays have polychrome corners of alternating ashlar quoins and brick and segmental pediments with moulded stone coping. They each have a round window with glazing bars and an ashlar diamond above set into the brickwork. The right-hand, fifth bay has a wide, inserted doorway with a concrete lintel and recessed double-doors. In the centre are three bays with a chamfered ashlar plinth and ashlar eaves band. The bays are separated by polychrome pilasters and have large rectangular windows with moulded stone sills, plain stone lintels, and timber casements with glazing bars. The pavilion blocks are mirror-images. Both have polychrome outer corners, a doorway with a moulded stone architrave adjacent to the central bays, and two narrow, rectangular windows with moulded stone sills and soldier brick lintels. They have four-over-four pane sashes (the two right-hand pavilion block windows are presently boarded).
The west side elevation of the pavilion block is largely obscured by a modern garage with corrugated metal walls linking the original building to a modern two-storey, five-bay extension. The east side elevation of the pavilion block has three large, rectangular windows with moulded stone sills, brick soldier lintels, and timber casements with glazing bars. Both upper side elevations have round-headed blind niches with double keystones. The north, rear elevation has similar detailing to the south elevation, with the outer bays of the taller central section having segmental pediments. The pavilion blocks project at each end. The left-hand bay of the five taller bays has inserted doorways on the ground floor and at an upper level, opening onto an external metal fire escape. The right-hand bay has inserted double doors at ground-floor level. The lower part of the central three bays are obscured by a modern boiler house with a mono-pitch roof. Above this level are similar polychrome pilasters and large rectangular windows with timber casements with glazing bars.
The garage, two-storey extension (Wiske), the boiler house and the external fire escape are later additions and are not of special architectural or historic interest and so are excluded from the List entry.
INTERIOR
Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that the modern internal fixtures and fittings relating to the building's use as a lecture theatre are not of special architectural or historic interest.
