Description

Probably 1850, 2-storey with upper breaking eaves, 3-bay, Tudor style L-plan villa with circa 2002 2-storey, rectangular-plan wing to rear in similar style by George Douglas, Aberdeen; set within private garden ground. Cherry-caulked red sandstone with tooled ashlar quoins and tabbed window margins, harled to rear. Base course; shouldered gablet dormerheads and gables with angled skews and skewputts; chamfered arrises. Central door with plain fanlight.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: S (principal) elevation with slightly advanced gable to right; arrowslit to gable apex. E elevation with slightly advanced gable to left; carved finials to original dormerheads. W elevation with later window at ground floor of gable to right.

Predominantly replacement 8-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Replacement panelled timber door. Pitched roof, grey slates. Coped and shouldered ashlar wallhead stacks with circular clay cans. Later aluminium rainwater goods.

INTERIOR (seen 2012): principal rooms flanking a central hall and timber dog-leg staircase; some later interior remodelling. Moulded cornice to entrance hall, reinstated moulded cornice to principal rooms. Working window shutters. Predominantly panelled timber doors.

GATERPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: rubble boundary walls with semicircular rubble copes. Square ashlar gatepiers with pyramidal caps.

Statement of Interest

Fordoun School House is a well-detailed mid-nineteenth century building and important surviving example of the parish's social history, particularly towards education. The building exhibits good stonework detailing such as shouldered gables with angled skews and tooled, tabbed and chamfered window margins. Its original setting has been largely retained, with the building set back from the road within its own garden ground, which is steeply banked to the N. The scale, detailing and setting is suggestive of a building of some prominence and status.

An account of 1893 describes the Parish School, built in 1850, as "a more elegant and commodious structure, befitting the expanding ideas of modern times" and it is likely that this refers to Fordoun School House. The former parish school was built in 1815 in the NW corner of the churchyard (now demolished), and latterly was used as a girls school.

A new parish school was constructed circa 1891 (see separate listing) to the E of the school house. Fordoun School House was then used as accommodation for the Head Teacher until circa 1980.

List description updated 2012.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56618175

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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