Building of the Month April 2023: Newell House School, Cornhill, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PL

This substantial and handsome building dates from the 17^th century, with additions made in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  It stands on one of the main approaches to the centre of historic Sherborne and is listed as Grade II (LEN: 1110757). In the older sections of the building, stone mullioned windows and leaded lights remain and the house retains a great sense of its history.  Nearby and within the grounds, stands a Tudor barn thought to have been associated with the Abbey (see separate entry). 

When it was first built it must have stood on the very outskirts of the town and had a rural aspect.  Its later additions are substantial and angled to present a smart front to those approaching the town.  Newell House is one of several important houses in Sherborne built to express the wealth of its thriving merchant class in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  More recently, it housed a school but this closed in 2000 and since then the condition of the building as progressively declined.  Permission was granted in 2003 to convert the house into three separate dwellings and build 19 further units on the site but the development never progressed.  

It now stands increasingly overwhelmed by vegetation, some of it growing through broken windows. It needs decisive action and immediate attention to prevent further decline.