In 1797, Thomas Roberts opened Hatherleigh's first school which, within five years, had grown so large that he bought and partially demolished the cottages and built in their place a fine new school in the Georgian style. He was a remarkable young man, who, as a midshipman in the Royal Navy lost both of his hands at the age of ten during one of the closing battles of the American War of Independence. For fifty years he ran his school and became a leading figure in the town. Around 1876 the house was divided in two and some of the original Georgian features were overlaid with Victorian decoration including plaster ceiling roses, cornices, and fireplaces.