West Wing, Donaldson's Building of Edinburgh Academy (Former Donaldson's School For The Deaf), 54 Henderson Row, Edinburgh, Inverleith, Edinburgh

Description

A seven-bay, three-storey purpose-built residential school in a simple classical style with an attic and raised basement. It was built for the Edinburgh Institution for the Deaf and Dumb between 1823-24 to the designs of James Gillespie Graham. The walls are droved ashlar sandstone with matching dressings that include banded stringcourses and an upper cill course. The main building is rectangular on plan with neo-Jacobean style wings (of 1893-4) to the east and west, linked by connecting corridors. The building is located on the northern edge of Edinburgh's New Town and currently forms part of the neighbouring Edinburgh Academy (see separate listings, Listed Building Refs. LB27973 and LB30043). It is set back from the street and is centrally positioned within a large site, with mature planting and various ancillaries that include a gate lodge and gate piers (see separate listing, Listed Building Ref. LB30042).

The main (southeast) elevation is symmetrically arranged with a three-bay advanced pediment to the centre, breaking the eaves. The raised central doorway is accessed via a flight of stone steps with cast iron railings that extend over the sunken basement. The entrance has a spoked fanlight, flanked by paired Roman Doric pilasters with an entablature over a bolection moulded, timber panelled door.

The side (northeast and southwest) elevations are three-bays with tripartite windows to the outer bays and single window openings to the centre. The lower floors are abutted by late-19th century wings (see below). The rear (northwest) elevation is eight-bays and is largely symmetrically arranged with coursed rubble masonry walls and no stringcourses or cill courses.

The shallow, piended slate roof has a deep moulded eaves cornice and blocking course with a pair of canted dormers to the main (southeast) elevation, a pedimented dormer to the east and west elevations, and four shed dormers to the rear. There is a central ashlar chimneystack with moulded coping running perpendicular to the ridge, with a similar ridgeline chimneystack on either side. All have clay pots. There is a raised wallhead over the apex of the central portico with slated sides. The window openings largely have projecting margins and cills, with plain surrounds to the basement and rear elevation. The windows are predominantly six over six timber sash and cases with some three over six and four over four arrangements to the sides and rear.

A pair of largely symmetrical, two-storey wings with attics adjoin the side (northeast and southwest) elevations of the main building. Built in a neo-Jacobean style, they were added in 1893 to the designs of Charles S.S. Johnston and are of random coursed, rockfaced ashlar sandstone with ashlar rybats and dressings in red sandstone. Each wing has a pedimented gable to the centre of the southeast elevation with tripartite windows and a circular tower to the inner corner, with an ogee roof and finial. That to the west has a large doorpiece with a scrolled pediment. The roofs are slated and steeply pitched, with tall chimneystacks and clay pots to the east block, and an ogee-roofed ventilator stack to the centre of the west block. There are gabled dormers to the attics, with pedimented wallhead dormers breaking the eaves to the west block. The dormers to the east block have timber fascia and overhanging eaves on timber brackets. The windows are multi-paned timber sliding sashes, largely six over two.

The late-19th century wings are connected to the side elevations of the main building by flat-roofed two-storey over basement link blocks (1893), each comprising nine bays. There are various mid-to-late 20th century additions adjoining the rear of these link blocks, and to the rear of the east and west wings. These mid-to-late 20th century additions are all excluded from the listing.

The interior of the main building was seen in 2019. The layout has been partially altered and comprises central a corridor running east to west on each floor, with classrooms and associated schoolrooms on either side, terminated by a set of stairs at each end. The interior is plainly detailed and has been substantially modernised throughout with plain ceilings and walls with surface-mounted services. Some early decorative features are retained including splayed window openings with panelled reveals to some rooms, however these are very plain. The entrance hall has a decorative cornice with a Greek key motif and a door opening with a spoked fanlight and side lights. The stairs have plain iron balusters with polished timber handrails.

The interior of the east wing was formerly the headmaster's house and sick rooms. It is now used as offices and meeting rooms but the layout has remained largely unaltered and the domestic character is retained. Features include a dog-legged timber stair with turned balusters and mosaic flooring to the hallway, timber panelled window surrounds and doors, and decorative cornices and fireplaces to the principal first and ground floor rooms, with moulded cornices, dados, skirtings, and picture rails in other rooms.

The interior of the west wing (formerly a gymnasium and swimming pool) contains large open plan rooms but there has been some subdivision of the former gymnasium on the upper floor. The swimming pool has been filled in but some tiles survive on the lower part of the wall (now painted). There are no decorative features except for some timber boarded floors and timber panelling to the walls and window surrounds on the upper floor. The tower contains a spiral stone staircase with exposed timber work to the roof turret.

The gate lodge, boundary walls and gatepiers are listed separately under LB30042 (see case ref: 300039014 for more information). The ancillary buildings and later extensions to the rear of the late-19th century wings and link blocks are all excluded from the listing.

Legal exclusions

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: gates, mid-20th century extensions to rear of East and West Wings, Music Block to rear of East Wing, and various ancillary buildings along boundary wall to west of main building (except for the gate lodge, west and north boundary walls and gate piers which are listed separately under LB30042).

These structures are excluded from the listing as they are later additions and are not of special architectural or historic interest.

Historical development

The Edinburgh Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was founded in 1810 and occupied a number of different premises within Edinburgh's Old Town. It provided deaf children from all social backgrounds from across Scotland with board and education, although some attended solely as day pupils.

The Institution was initially run by John Braidwood, but he was quickly followed by Robert Kinniburgh in 1811. John Braidwood was the grandson of Thomas Braidwood, who was responsible for establishing Britain's first school for deaf children, which is also thought to be amongst the earliest in Europe (see Age and Rarity).

Between 1814 and 1821 the number of pupils at the Edinburgh Institution increased from 36 to 51 and as a result, larger premises were needed. A two-acre site known as Distillery Park, was feued from the Heriot Trust (Watson, p.40). A new building was designed, at no cost, by the noted Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham. The chosen site was located on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, an area of the New Town that was still under development, although many of the plots had been laid out by this time. The construction cost was met by a combination of personal subscriptions, parish collections, an exhibition tour that demonstrated the work of the Institution, and the sale of the Institution's previous premises in Chessels Court (Higginbotham). Building work was completed in May of the following year at a cost of around £7,300. By the time of opening the Institution was £1,300 in debt and was entirely dependent on charity, with 69 pupils and another 40 on the waiting list (Watson, p.40).

The building is first shown on Kirkwood's plan of 1823, captioned as the 'New Deaf and Dumb Institution'. It is shown as rectangular on plan, positioned at the centre of the site, which was bound by the newly constructed Edinburgh Academy to the east and Gabriel's Road to the west. The associated gate lodge, boundary walls and gatepiers (see 300039014), are thought to have been part of Gillespie Graham's original scheme and are therefore contemporary with the main building. The lodge is not shown on historic maps until James Knox's map of 1834, however the absence may be a result of the map scale and detail rather than because it had not yet been constructed. Additional outbuildings are shown in the northwest corner of the site, but these were removed sometime before the 1905 Ordnance Survey (map published 1908).

A detailed view of the grounds and layout of the buildings is shown on the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1852 (published 1853), which depicts the main building at the centre of the site. A wall runs east to west, adjoining either side of the front elevation of the main building, which divides the site in two. The southern part of the grounds contains the public-facing gardens fronting Henderson Row, with a curved and tree-lined entrance drive leading from the main gates to the main building. The northern part of the grounds was more functional in nature with drying greens, an open area (which is thought to have been a playground) and series of terraced walkways along the steep northern edge of the site. There were no substantial changes to the building or the site until the 1890s, as evidenced by the Ordnance Survey Large Scale Town Plan of 1876 (published 1878-81).

The layout, educational methods and daily routine of the school is described by a newspaper article form 1864 (Higgenbotham, Edinburgh Institution for the Deaf and Dumb). It reported that there was a large flower and vegetable garden, and bleaching-green to the south of the main building and playgrounds to the rear. The interior spaces were described as '…admirably lighted…and have very cheerful prospects from the windows.' On the first floor there were two interconnected classrooms, the directors' board room and other rooms, including the bedrooms of the headmaster and matron. The upper floors housed the dormitories and were divided in the centre, each with their own staircase. There was also a small library, a sewing room, bedrooms for the parlour boarders, two sick rooms. The girls' lavatories and wardrobes were on the attic level. The ground (basement) contained a large kitchen, laundry and small washing-house, a '…rather cheerless-looking dining-room...' and a sitting room and lavatories and bath for the boys.

There were at least three other day schools for the education of deaf children in Scotland by the mid 19th century. The largest of these was the Deaf and Dumb Day School, which opened in St John Street in Edinburgh in 1837. This amalgamated with the Edinburgh Institution in 1846 and its 50 pupils moved to the building on Henderson Row (Watson, p. 44). In the 1840s plans were also made for the opening of another institution for the deaf in Scotland. This institution, Donaldson's Hospital (LB27971), was founded as a residential school for destitute boys and girls by the Edinburgh publisher James Donaldson. It was designed by William Henry Playfair and building work commenced in 1841. It was not specifically built for the education of deaf children but by 1850 over half of the accommodation was for the deaf (Higginbotham).

By the 1890s the classroom and residential accommodation at the Edinburgh Institution was becoming very limited. Additional wings to the east and west were built between 1893 and 1894 to the designs of Charles S.S. Johnson and are first shown on the Large Scale Town Plan of 1894 (published 1895). The west wing provided a swimming bath at the ground floor, a heating chamber in the basement and a gymnasium above with associated lavatories. The east wing largely consisted of the Headmaster's house with reception rooms and kitchens at the ground floor and bedrooms at the first floor. The north end of the ground floor was used as sick rooms for non-infectious cases, and there was an additional single-storey offshoot housing a scullery, larder and other ancillary rooms (Turley). These additions allowed three separate classrooms rather than everyone being taught in a single room (Watson, p.117). Much of the wall dividing the grounds of the site was removed as a result of these extensions but a small section remained to the far west.

By 1910 it was felt that further accommodation was required to provide more classrooms and better dining facilities. A new building was constructed to the north of the main building, which is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1931 (published 1933). It was connected to the main school via a covered walkway that was constructed of timber and corrugated iron. Both the building and the covered walkway were removed in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The Ordnance Survey maps (published 1912 and 1931) also show that a series of ancillary buildings were constructed along the western boundary wall throughout the 20th century. These are all excluded from the listing.

The Institution was granted royal patronage in 1823 but it wasn't until 1911, on the accession of George V, that it was allowed to incorporate the word 'Royal' into its title. It then became the 'Edinburgh Royal Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb'.

In 1928 it was deemed that the maintenance of two separate schools for the deaf in Edinburgh could no longer be supported. In 1938 the Edinburgh Institution and Donaldson's Hospital were amalgamated under the title 'Donaldson's School for the Deaf'. The sole purpose was to provide an efficient education for deaf children and therefore hearing children ceased to be permitted. The Henderson Row building became the school's junior department and the Donaldson's Hospital building at Wester Coates (LB27971) became the senior department, where a large new building expanded the existing facilities (Watson, pp. 182-186; Higginbotham). In 2008, the school vacated the Donaldson's Hospital building at Wester Coates and relocated to a new campus in Linlithgow. The buildings at West Coates have now been converted into apartments.

In the late 1950s, a single-story block of classrooms was added to the northwest of the former Institution building on Henderson Row, connecting to the western extension wing. During this time, lavatory extensions were added to the rear of the east and west connecting corridors (these extensions are excluded).

In 1977 the Donaldson's site was acquired by the neighbouring Edinburgh Academy to the east (LB27973 and LB30043). The deaf children were relocated to the West Coates site and the two adjoining campuses on Henderson Row were amalgamated. The building was subsequently renamed 'The Donaldson's Building' and now houses the Rector's office, and the English, Geography and Art Departments. The present Music Block building to the north (which connects the Donaldson's and Edinburgh Academy sites and is excluded from the listing) was built in the late-20th century.

Statement of Interest

The former Donaldson's School for the Deaf meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

It is outstanding as the earliest surviving example of a purpose-built school for the education of deaf children in Scotland, and is also thought to be amongst the earliest in Britain.

It is a major example of an early 19^th century institutional building that externally retains much of its historic character and setting.

It was designed by a leading Scottish architect of the early 19th century, James Gillespie Graham.

It tells us about the provision of education for Scotland's deaf children from the early 19^th century and the later alterations and additions inform us how this changed over the course of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Architectural interest

Design

When early institutions and schools were established for educating deaf children, both in Scotland and in the rest of Britain, they often occupied existing premises due to limited funds. These were usually domestic townhouses or villas, which were sometimes later extended with an additional school room or sleeping accommodation to meet growing pupil numbers. The few purpose-built examples that were constructed in the early to mid-19^th century (Parson Street, Glasgow and Old Kent Road in London – both demolished) were relatively plain and austere in design terms.

By the mid to late 19^th century, a number of large, purpose-built institutions were being constructed in major towns and cities across Britain. The most notable examples, such as Donaldson's Hospital in Edinburgh by William Playfair (LB27971) and Langside, Glasgow (LB43001) were usually by named architects, were often executed on a monumental scale and had a high level of architectural pretension.

Following the educational reform of the 1870s, some local school boards within Britain began to make provisions for deaf children within their existing schools. During the late 19^th century, day schools for deaf children were opened by local School Boards in Scotland. Examples include the Glebe School on Crawford Street, Greenock in 1883 and the Board School on Copeland Road in Govan, Glasgow. Throughout the late 19^th and much of the 20^th century, responsibility for the education of deaf children was increasingly provided by local authorities and became further integrated into the state education system (Higginbotham, Institutions for Deaf Children). As a result, the construction of specialist, purpose-built institutional buildings for educating deaf children fell into decline by the outbreak of the First World War.

The former Donaldson's building is designed in a simple, stripped-back neo-classical style with minimal architectural detailing or embellishment that is highly characteristic of Scottish neo-classicism. It's grand yet severe appearance is typical of many institutional buildings of the early 19^th century, which were often restrained by a limited budget. This is offset by its setting within the mature landscaping of the site.

Like many institutional buildings of the period, the neo-classical design and picturesque setting overlaps with early 19^th century trends in country house architecture but is executed on a larger scale and with a greater level of symmetry (Glendinning et al, p.231). Despite the relative plainness, the overall composition and design displays definite architectural quality. The building is an early and highly significant example of an institutional building that was purpose-built for deaf children.

There is a clear distinction between the public facing main elevations and the more functional and practical appearance of the rear elevation, which cannot be seen from public view. This is primarily expressed in both the use of materials and their architectural treatment. Droved ashlar and simple neo-classical detailing are used for the front and side elevations, whilst the rear elevation is of coursed rubblestone, with no detailing. This was common for institutional buildings as it was a way of reducing costs whilst providing a suitably grand public edifice that would convey the worthy intentions of both the institution and its subscribers.

The plan form of the main building and the addition of the late-19^th century wings reflects the changes in teaching methods and school design from the mid 19^th century onwards, primarily the provision of additional facilities and extra classrooms. The core of the early layout remains evident, despite the later alterations and insertion of some additional partitions. A key feature is the separate staircases at either end of the building, which formerly served the separate spaces for each of the sexes.

The internal decorative scheme of the main building is typically plain, with the exception of the entrance porch and the principal rooms adjacent on the ground floor, which have some decorative cornicing. This is in keeping with the original function of the building, in which the public-facing rooms would receive a greater level of decorative treatment, whilst the teaching spaces and service rooms would be plain and functional. The east wing retains a large amount of its early fabric and decorative fittings, the character of which continues to reflect its original purpose as the headmaster's house. The west wing has lost its swimming pool and gymnasium but the institutional nature of its character and open-plan layout is largely retained.

There has been some insertion of replacement fabric throughout much of the main building, and in the late-19^th century wings, however this is common for an institutional building of this age. On balance, despite the later alterations to the interior much of the early character of the building, and the late-19^th century wings still remains. The simplicity of the decoration and plan form is largely retained and is typical for a school of this date.

The main building and the ancillary features were designed by the noted Scottish architect, James Gillespie Graham, who was prolific during the first-half of the 19^th century. Most noted for his work in the Scottish baronial style and in the Gothic Revival style, he designed a large number of country houses and gothic churches, specialising in interiors. His work was heavily influenced by his friend, Augustus Welby Pugin, who was the key figure in the ascendency of the gothic style in Victorian Britain. In addition to his design for the Edinburgh Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, Gillespie Graham's designs in the classical style include his work for the Moray Estate scheme in Edinburgh's New Town (from 1822), and Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin, Moray (LB30864), which is considered to be one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Scotland.

The main Donaldson's building, along with the wider site, has been altered by a series of incremental alterations and additions. Such changes are to be expected for a building of this age which has been in continual use as an educational building since the early 19^th century. The two flanking wings are designed in a neo-Jacobean style but in terms of scale, positioning and architectural treatment they do not detract from the main building. These additions have been partially altered to the interior, particularly that to the west, but they are good examples for their date and demonstrate how the school was extended to meet changing requirements in education and pupil welfare. The later additions to the rear of the site are not considered to be notable examples for their date and type and are therefore excluded from the listing. As they are low in height and are located to the rear of the site, they do not detract from the design of the main building.

Overall, the main building has remained relatively unaltered since it was constructed in the early 19^th century. The external appearance, interior layout and overall character are all relatively well retained, and this authenticity adds to its significance in listing terms.

Setting

The main building was designed as part of a planned ensemble by the architect James Gillespie Graham, which included the boundary walls, gatepiers and the gate lodge. The main building was intentionally positioned at the centre of the site to ensure that it would be the prominent feature when viewed from the principal entrance on Henderson Row. It is set back from the street beyond an area of landscaped ground, which is fronted by a prominent public entranceway. The relatively narrow southern boundary of the site that fronts Henderson Row, combined with the mature planting, gives the building and its grounds a very private character.

In contrast to the gatepiers, the associated lodge was intentionally designed to be low in height, narrow in plan, and was set against the western boundary of the site, to ensure that it did not interrupt views towards the main building. As it is set back from the street frontage, the lodge is recessive and does not form a key feature of the entranceway on Henderson Row.

The site is located within the New Town Conservation Area and the formal planning, materials and neo-classical style of the main building and its original ancillaries are consistent with the special character of the conservation area. The height of the surrounding buildings, coupled with the mature planting and narrow entrance on Henderson Row means that the main building can only be glimpsed from the street is therefore not prominent within, or out with their immediate townscape setting.

Together with the Grecian-style Edinburgh Academy by William Burn to the east (LB27973), which dates from 1826-32, the buildings were among the earliest to be built on Henderson Row and contribute to much of its historic character. The low-level massing of these two buildings is contrasted by the high-density character of the later tenements on either side. These include Nos. 56-60 and 62-70 Henderson Row (Listed Building Refs. LB29023 and LB29024) to the immediate west, which were built around 1863. The construction of these later tenements changed the wider setting of the former Donaldson's site, however the use of ashlar sandstone, slate roofs and the neo-classical style means that they are largely in keeping with the character of the earlier buildings.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

School buildings that were erected before the educational reforms of the later 19^th century are not common in Scotland and only a very small proportion of these were used to teach the deaf. Surviving examples of those that were specifically built for the education of deaf children are exceptionally rare across both Scotland and the United Kingdom and may be of special historic interest in terms of the listing criteria.

Britain's first school for deaf children, was a private school established in Edinburgh in 1760 by Thomas Braidwood (grandfather of John Braidwood, the first head of the Edinburgh Institute for the Deaf and Dumb). Braidwood's Academy became well-known and he was responsible for developing a pioneering technique that became the forerunner of British Sign Language (BSL). However, Braidwood's school was not purpose-built and instead he used rooms within his own house (later nicknamed 'Dumbie House'). This was common for the early deaf institutions and schools, as they often relied on charitable donations or private subscriptions.

In 1783 Braidwood moved his academy to Hackney, near London and the former house and school in Edinburgh was later demolished in 1939. Its ruins are now commemorated by a memorial plaque (2021) and the area in which it was located is still called 'Dumbiedykes'. The name derives from a combination of the nickname for Braidwood's house and its position between two dykes (long walls, embankments or ditches).

The first public Deaf school in Britain was the London Asylum for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb Poor, established at Fort Place, Grange Road in Bermondsey in 1792. It is believed that this building was not purpose-built and is no longer extant. The school relocated to larger premises in 1809, when a substantial brick building was constructed on the Old Kent Road. This was rebuilt around 1885, to occupy only part of the original site, and has since been converted into apartments.

The first known example of a purpose-built school for the deaf in Scotland, was located in 38 Parson Street, Glasgow. This was a plain, two-storey, five-bay storey villa, built in 1820 for the Glasgow Deaf and Dumb Institution. The institution relocated to new purpose-built accommodation in the Langside area of Glasgow in 1868 and the original school on Parson Street was later demolished.

Notable examples of other purpose-built schools for the deaf in Scotland include Glasgow Langside (listed at category B, LB43001), built in 1864-68; the former Donaldson's Hospital in Edinburgh (listed at category A, LB27971), built 1842-50; Dudhope Bank at 165 Lochee Road in Dundee (demolished); and St Vincent's School, 4 Easterhill Street in Tollcross near Glasgow (demolished), built in 1911.

The former Edinburgh Institution building on Henderson Row is a major example of its type and pre-dates all others that remain in both Scotland and in the rest of Britain. As the earliest surviving example of a purpose-built school for the education of deaf children in Scotland, it is therefore of outstanding historic interest for both its age and rarity.

Social historical interest

The former Edinburgh Institute for the Deaf and Dumb is among a small number of surviving schools in Scotland and the United Kingdom that were specifically built for deaf children.

The Edinburgh Institution for the Deaf and Dumb was established in 1810 and was the first charitable institution for the deaf in Scotland. The head of the Institution, Robert Kinniburgh, undertook tours of the country, sometimes accompanied by some of his pupils. This was intended to raise funds to send more deaf children to the institution, from places outside of Edinburgh. However, his work inspired others to establish other charitable deaf and dumb institutions in Scottish towns and cities. These included; Aberdeen (established in 1819), Glasgow (also established in 1819) and Dundee (established in the early 1820s).

The building and its ancillaries tell us about the provision of education for Scotland's deaf children from the early 19th century, in an era when the notion of the 'rational' body and mind became of principal concern to the respectable middle-classes. The survival of these buildings tell us about the aims and ideals of such institutions, which sought to turn people into 'useful', self-supporting adults, thereby lessoning the burden on society. However, they also wanted to enrich them on a moral and spiritual level. Surviving examples of these buildings also inform us about 19^th century attitudes towards disability or physical impairment, which were seen a 'problem' that required either medical correction or institutional confinement.

The additions and changes to the main building and the site illustrates how it has been developed to meet the evolving needs of the Institution. This reflects the changes in educational methods and practice towards deaf children, which have occurred since the Institution was first established in the early 19^th century.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is no association with a person or event of national importance.

Statutory address, category of listing changed from B to A and listed building record revised in 2021. Previously listed as 'Donaldson's School for the Deaf, 54 Henderson Row'.

Other Information

The school premises were used in location filming for the 1970 film 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie', which was based on the book by Muriel Spark and starred Dame Maggie Smith and Robert Stephens.

The Education Act of 1872 made it compulsory for all parents to educate their children. Although the parents of deaf children were not specifically exempt, this was never enforced against such parents on the grounds they had a reasonable excuse (Society for the Education of the Deaf). The Education Act of 1919 made no specific changes to the education of deaf children, except to extend the duration of their education, in line with all other children (5 years until 18 years).

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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