Whilst riding around Sidmouth in a friend's car in May 2015 we spotted this tower amongst the trees. From a distance all we could see was the lovely verdigris top glinting in the sunshine so we decided to investigate.
It turned out to be St John's International School (now just called St John's School), but research revealed that it was originally a convent and school dedicated to providing a catholic education for girls, both boarding and day pupils, plus an infant school. Its full title was the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent of the Assumption.
The convent was purpose built for the sisters, who took residence in 1884 when they also opened their chapel to serve the town.
We drove into the car park and I asked if I could take photos of the building on the site. Unfortunately, being a school - and during term time right then - photos aren't allowed in order to protect the children...which makes sense, although I wouldn't have included any in my photos. It is a shame though, as seeing online photos of the front it's a huge building with some amazing architecture.
However, I did manage to take some from the public lane, which gave me a tiny taste of the building.
The tower belongs to the chapel, which is an integral part of the whole building. There's also a turret with spire on the other side of the chapel, which can be seen on their website (link at the bottom of the page).
Another entrance, below, with an image of Christ upon a cross wreathed in ivy and with a tiny roof to help protect it from the elements.
And a couple of sillouettes to finish off with.
And there we go! I'm sorry there's so little of the building but I thought it worth including for its historical content as well as the parts I did manage to take photos of.
For information about St John's School their website is here where you can see the fabulous aerial photo taken from the other side of the building.
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