Description

1895, heightened to 2-storeys in early 20th century; further later additions. Large 2-storey, 8-bay, symmetrical square-plan school with advanced crowstepped-gabled outer bays, square towered entrance with decorative cast-iron brattishing to left re-entrant angle. Crennelated wallhead; tripartite windows with scrolled pedimented shaped hoodmoulds and carved curled fox detail corbel stops to 1st and 2nd floor gables; quatrefoils and prominent arched pedimented finials. Pair of round-arched and shouldered-arched hoodmoulded entrance doors. Stugged ashlar with droved margins and quoins. Base course; moulded string courses to ground floor and first floor cill level; eaves course; chamfered stone cills. Later 20th century small single storey flat roofed extensions to NW and to SW linking to perpendicular hall block to rear. Fine double-height Doric stone colonnaded central hall to interior.

Late 20th century lying-pane windows; 20th century doors; slate roofs; terracotta ridge tiles; crenulated gables with beaked skewputts; cast-iron gutters and downpipes.

INTERIOR: good early 20th century formal symmetrical school interior planned around fine open timber floored central hall with double height round arched sandstone colonnade and decorative high balconied wrought iron railings. Open curved timber beam roof with extensive banked rooflights on stone corbel stops with carved timber quatrefoil brackets supporting tension rods. Handed stone stairwells to sides with tall railings, timber handrails and decorative green and white tiles to dado height. Formal classroom layout around central hall; timber panelling to dado height; full height multi-pane timber glazed sliding screens to cloakroom; three panel timber doors; original fitted timber furniture to janitor's office.

HALL BLOCK (TO REAR): 12-bay single and 2-storey hall extending to rear housing dining hall and kitchens with separate access to first floor gym hall, joined to main building by later 20th century flat roofed toilet block ( not linked).

BOUNDARY WALLS AND RAILINGS: central squared ashlar gateposts with domed caps within stepped ashlar angle coped wall with integral wrought iron railings to principal (NE) elevation. Tall coped wall to SE; 20th century railings to NW, surrounding playground area.

Statement of Interest

This school is a good example of a larger Board School with a striking highly-crafted stone colonnaded double height entrance hall dominating the interior spaces, surviving predominantly to its original symmetrical plan. It demonstrates good stone detailing to the monolithic main entrance and is prominently sited on a main street position, being one of the few buildings in the area predating 1900.

An early photograph of the building illustratesthat when originally constructed the school was single storey, being raised to two storeys not long afterwards using the same stone details, such as the squared tower, and rebuilding them to the upper floors. The stonework of the later phase is so well executed it is indistinguishable from the earlier works. It was at this stage that the fine interior colonnade that dominates the interior would have been introduced.

The earlier 20th century hall block to the rear was previously linked to the main school by a single storey pitched roof link which was replaced in the later 19th century by the single storey flat roofed toilet block, blocking the direct access route.

Currently the school is predominantly used as the primary school with separate entrance to the W to nursery school accommodation (2006).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77779042

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

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy