Description
George Craig, 1885-7. 2-storey and attic, 16-bay Collegiate Gothic former school building. Roughly H-plan. Bull-faced, squared and necked masonry with red ashlar dressings. Base course, cill course at ground and first floor, cornice at eaves. Pointed arcaded windows at first floor and pointed to attic, roll-moulded window surrounds. Ventilator grille openings beneath windows.East (Lochend Road) elevation: symmetrical, 16 bays on falling ground with four-bay centrepiece flanked by pinnacled octagonal shafts. Large semicircular tympanum above centre four first floor windows, inscribed 'LOCHEND ROAD SCHOOL' with figurative education roundel above. String course and central blind oculus in gablehead. Bays flanking centre buttressed on ground floor - three to each side. Large rectangular panel with carved details (see notes) with pointed tympanum above around blind traceried oculus. At first floor right-hand side, centre bay, window is blind, on left second bay from centre and three outer bays blind; three buttressed gabled ashlar dormer windows to each side of centre.
South elevation: symmetrical, 15 bays, outer four bays to each side gabled and advanced. Centre seven bays plain with three buttressed dormer windows, identical to east elevation. Outer bays have four rectangular windows to ground, inner on each adapted to a door. String course divides gablehead from first floor, former with four small round-headed windows with quatrefoil above.
North elevation: advanced four-bay gable to left; outer two windows at first floor blind, gablehead with bipartite plate traceried window. To right, eight-bay block. Re-entrant angle occupied by broad single bay gabled block and directly above small two-bay turret with slate roof, tall chimney stack above. To right, two irregularly fenestrated bays. Eight-bay block has windows identical to rest of building but without cill courses. Centre four bays have dormers.
West elevation: three-bay block in centre with three windows to ground and first. To right, large slightly advanced return of gable ended bay to west, with two windows to far left. To left, advanced gabled bay with two small round-headed windows and oculus in gablehead. Large modern brick chimney added by re-entrant angle.
All large windows timber sash and case six-pane with hoppers. Dormer and attic windows sash and case. Slate roof with decorative red terracotta ridges.
Wrought-iron railings over dwarf wall to Lochend Road side of north playground. Matching two-leaf wrought-iron gates and pedestrian gates to Janitor's House. Railings and wall to south playground removed. Dwarf wall across front of playground. Arch pedestrian entrances to each side of school, ashlar, buttressed with pitched stone capping and scrolled terminal finials. Decorative wrought-iron gates within arches.
Janitor's House: to north of school. L-plan. East elevation: gabled two-bay block to left with date (1886) in gablehead and stack at apex. Recessed single-bay block with pointed entrance door with single window above. South elevation: single advanced gabled bay to left with one window off centre. Section to right with one window at ground floor to far right. West elevation: three-bay, flat-roofed 1950s extension. Only one original ground floor window visible. North elevation: two-symmetrically placed first floor windows, otherwise blank.
Play Shelter: in playground to north of main building. Pitched, slated roof supported on cast-iron columns over open connecting walkway to squared and snecked sandstone ashlar play shelter, also with pitched and slated roof.
Statement of Interest
The foundation stone was laid on the 17th October 1885 and the building was opened on the 29th January 1887 by Sir William Muir, principal of Edinburgh University. This building is an imposing landmark at the north end of Lochend Road- clearly visible from Leith Links – and is a superior variant of School Board Gothic.
The building was converted into apartments before 1998.
Statutory address revised in 2021. Previously listed as '89 Duke Street, Former Leith Academy Secondary School, Lochend Anexe [sic], with Janitor's House, Play Shelter, Railings and Gateway'.
External Links
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Recommended Books
Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper