Description

James Sellars, 1887. 2 tall, imposing gatepiers (original gates replaced with non-descript versions), each pier quatrefoil on plan on low shaped plinth with corniced top; attenuated pyramidal cap resting on 4 spheres. Adjoining low coped wall with cast iron railing over and entrance gate to R. Further boundary wall to road. Squared and snecked tooled red Ballochmyle sandstone walls; dressed ashlar piers.

Statement of Interest

The Renaissance style Spier's School was built with an endowment from the late John Speir, son of a wealthy solicitor and landowner in Beith. The gatepiers, railings and boundary walls enclosing the richly wooded grounds are now all that is left of the B-listed complex designed by James Sellars. Following the closure of the school in 1972 and a period of ensuing neglect, the local authority granted its demolition in 1984. Located on the road from Beith to Barrmill, the prominent gatepiers are still very much of local significance to those who attended the school and serve as a reminder of the location of the renowned institution. Stylistically of 17th century style, they are comparable to those at Moray House of 1628 in the Canongate, Edinburgh.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77780406

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

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  For the Record
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  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)