Public Library, Ayres Wynd, Prestonpans, Prestonpans, East Lothian

Entry Name: Public Library, Ayres Wynd, Prestonpans

Listing Name: West Loan, Public Library with Gatepiers, Gates and Walls

Listing Date: 20 March 1997

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 390609

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB43951

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Prestonpans, Ayres Wynd, Public Library

ID on this website: 200390609

Location: Prestonpans

County: East Lothian

Town: Prestonpans

Electoral Ward: Preston, Seton and Gosford

Traditional County: East Lothian

Tagged with: Public library Library building

Description

Peter Whitecross dated 1904. Single storey institution incorporating 2-storey tower and upper flat to N. Essentially classical freestyle. Squared and snecked red sandstone, hammer-faced, grey sandstone to rear, droved red dressings throughout. Base course and cill course, raised in places to accord with window height.

W (FRONT) ELEVATION: asymmetrical, 3-bay, single storey, with 2-storey tower advanced near centre. S bay in gable with large Venetian tripartite window incorporating Doric pilasters and architrave, round-arch to centre with keystone. Tower incorporates main door in S-facing return with lugged moulded architrave, broken pediment and datestone; facing W large tripartite window at ground floor with curvilinear cornice, smaller tripartite window to 1st with carved cill, keystone and lintel course, topped by cornice below decorative castellations. N bay with single bipartite window, corniced.

S ELEVATION: plain, single storey, symmetrical, with 3 tall bipartite windows.

N ELEVATION: 2-storey, 2-bay. W bay gabled with tripartite window to ground floor, single window in gablehead. E bay with tripartite window to ground floor, elongated dormer above in 4 timber sections.

E ELEVATION: essentially a double gable with brick external stair to upper level in N gable. S gable with large tripartite Venetian window (complements front elevation). N gable undistinguished, flanked by

2 large windows at ground level, 2 small windows in external stair leading to upper floor with porch on landing, glazed door and small window. Elongated flat-roofed dormer in roof slope facing S.

Windows all timber and small-pane, mostly fixed or sash and case, casement to dormers. Gabled roofs in graded light-grey slate with skews, stylised skewputts, decorative red clay ridge tiles and projecting eaves. Decorative rainwater hoppers.

INTERIOR: fine and substantially unaltered.

GATES AND WALLS: gatepiers to front right in panelled ashlar red sandstone, eroding, square-section with cavetto cope and ball finials. Linked to low front wall in squared and snecked sandstone with saddleback ashlar cope and plain iron railings. Walls to other elevations higher, in random rubble.

Statement of Interest

Carved cill on tower bears the inscription "Public Library" in Art Nouveau style.

External Links

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