Elementary School, Burntisland Primary School, Ferguson Place, Burntisland, Burntisland, Fife

Description

Old School (1874 6) to W of site and Elementary School (1899 1901) to E.

OLD SCHOOL Moffat & Aitken, 1874 6. 2 storey school with mezzanine in Tudor gothic style, on ground sloping to S. Rectangular plan with projecting gables. Rusticated ashlar with ashlar plinth, squared and snecked rubble to rear and polished dressings. Ground floor cill course, string course and eaves course. Hoodmoulds with label stops, stop chamfered arrises, stone transoms and mullions and relieving arches. Arrow slit windows to gableheads.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: recessed centre, advanced outer bays. 4 steps up to 2 leaf, panelled timber door in moulded doorcase with carved 'GIRLS' at centre bay, small adjacent flanking windows; 2 small bipartite windows with cill course at mezzanine, tripartite window at 1st floor. Slightly advanced gable to right, blind panels (air vents?) below cill course of 2 tall cross windows; 1st floor with stepped tripartite window and hoodmould with label stops and small flanking blind panels. Advanced gable to left with square panel at centre below ground floor cill course and small bipartite window above at ground and at mezzanine, 2 further windows to each of these floors on return to right; 1st floor with tripartite window (detailed as above) and battered wallhead stack to left skew.

W ELEVATION: 4 irregular bays with outer gabled bay to left recessed. Bipartite window to right of centre and further window to outer right at ground and mezzanine, 1st floor with window to right of centre and transomed bipartite window in dormerhead breaking eaves to outer right. Advanced gable to left of centre with 2 blocked openings at plinth, tall transomed tripartite window with at ground and transomed bipartite window above, battered wallhead stack to right skew: return face to left with 2 leaf panelled timber door in moulded doorcase with carved 'BOYS' below small window, further window above. Broad recessed gable to outer left with 2 transomed bipartite windows at ground, similar window above with adjacent flanking windows, paired stacks in re entrant angle bridged to create arrow slit effect to right. Plinth to right of centre obscured at outer right by low flat roofed modern brick box with timber door.

N ELEVATION: symmetrical. Cross window to both floors at centre with 1st floor window breaking eaves into gabled dormerhead; bipartite window in flanking bays at both floors.

E ELEVATION: recessed to left, advanced and gabled to right. Gable to right with 2 cross windows at ground and transomed tripartite window above; recess with window to both floors at centre and gable to left of centre with transomed bipartite window and further bipartite window to outer left also at both floors.

6 and 8 pane glazing pattern in top opening windows. Grey slates. Cavetto coped ashlar stacks with some cans, ashlar coped skews with gabled skewputts with cusped carving and stone finials. Cast iron downpipes with square section gutters and decorative rainwater hoppers.

INTERIOR: original decorative scheme retained conserving imaginative spatial articulation of hall and opposing staircases lined with polychrome glazed tiles (turquoise and white) and surmounted by moulded dado rail. Separate staircases from ground to mezzanine and to 1st floor, cast iron balusters and columns with scrollwork supports and timber handrail. Headmaster's office with timber fireplace, panelled door (both with stop chamfered arrises) and boarded dado.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Robert Little, 1899 1901, and W R Simpson, 1911 (probably gymnasium). Single and 2 storey school. Elongated rectangular plan. Dressed, squared and snecked rubble with ashlar quoins and margins. Battered base course, ground and 1st floor cill courses. Pointed arch and shouldered openings, hoodmoulds with label stops, chamfered and stop chamfered arrises, stone transoms and mullions, and some relieving arches.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 2 storey block to right: comprised of 3 recessed bays to left, and gabled bay and 3 lower bays to right. Gable at centre with cross windows flanked by single windows to each floor; gablehead with horizontal moulding with label stops below glazed hoodmoulded trefoil with label stops; return face to left with bipartite small window at ground. Slightly lower block to right of centre with part glazed timber door off centre left in pointed arch doorway flanked by small windows, small bipartite window in bay to outer right; 1st floor with transomed bipartite window breaking eaves into dormerhead with trefoil at centre and window in bay to left. Recessed block to left with centre hoodmoulded stepped triple lancet and label stops below horizontal moulding flanked by square air vents and decorative bosses; battered buttresses divide outer bays with further triple lancet windows: 1st floor with bipartite windows at centre flanked by single windows and further bipartites to outer right and left (all windows transomed). Domed and finialled, timber louvred roof ventilator on slate apron off centre right at roof ridge.

Single storey block to left: comprised of 3 recessed gabled bays to left, 2 advanced bays and advanced gable to outer right. 2 bipartite windows to right of centre; diminutive gabled slate roof ventilators with timber trefoil openings; bipartite window on return to left below trefoil opening at gablehead. Advanced gable to outer right with 2 steps up to part glazed timber door to left in pointed arch and roll moulded doorcase, cross window at centre, gablehead with horizontal bar moulding and trefoil with hoodmould and label stops: return face to right with bipartite window to right and dominant stack to left. Recessed block to left with large centre gable and stepped triple lancet with hoodmould (as above), wallhead stack to right piercing skew: flanking cross windows breaking eaves in gabled dormerheads. Link wall to outer left adjoining gabled gateway.

W ELEVATION: gable end with stepped triple lancet window (as above). N ELEVATION: single storey block to right: small modern lean to extension at centre; gable to right of centre with stepped tripartite window and gablehead stack; 2 leaf boarded door (altered from bipartite window) to outer right. Gable to left of centre as above but without trefoil and top right of window obscured by large extractor fan. Advanced gable to outer left also as above and small gabled porch adjoining in re entrant angle to right with deep set part glazed timber door in shouldered and roll moulded and hoodmoulded doorcase with blind oculus in tympanum, buttressed at outer right.

2 storey block to left: advanced with piend roof, single storey pitch roofed T projection off centre right. Single window (transom removed) and stepped window to outer right ground with tripartite window above; tripartite window (transoms removed) and T projection at centre ground below bipartite and 3 single windows; cross window with flanking windows to both floors at left. T projection with basket arched openings and diminutive buttresses, door and 4 window openings to W.

E ELEVATION: low 2 storey slightly advanced entrance gable at centre with squat deep set part glazed timber door and flanking windows below stepped 3 light landing window; small window close to eaves on return to right. Small window above gable to right of centre and further window to right at both floors; modern extension with window below enclosed timber walkway in re entrant angle to left below tripartite window at 1st floor. Advanced gable to outer left blank at ground with 2 cross windows at 1st floor, return face to right with boarded timber door with small windows flanking.

Small pane glazing pattern in timber sash and case windows throughout. Graded grey slates. Trefoil pierced cresting to stone stacks; moulded skewputts; cast iron downpipes and decorative rainwater hoppers and fixings.

INTERIOR: some interior doorways reflect triple lancet window openings. Staircase with cast iron columns and balusters with timber handrail; open beam ceilings with exposed braces. Attic room with trefoil window.

JANITOR'S HOUSE: Probably Robert Little, 1899. Single storey, 3 bay,

M gabled cottage with small pitch roofed extension to W. Dressed, squared and snecked rubble with droved quoins. Moulded, shouldered openings, chamfered arrises and stone mullions.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: part glazed boarded timber door at centre with bipartite window in bay to right and tripartite window in advanced gable to left. Bipartite window in extension to outer left. Link wall to outer right adjoining gabled entrance to school grounds.

W ELEVATION: extension abutting semicircular coped boundary wall; blind oculus in S gable.

E ELEVATION: bipartite window with relieving arch and trefoil above in N gable.

Plate glass glazing in timber sash and case windows, modern top opening windows to extension. Graded grey slates. Coped ashlar stacks with some moulded clay cans, ashlar coped skews and moulded skewputts. Cast iron downpipes and decorative rainwater hoppers.

GATEWAY, GATEPIERS, BOUNDARY WALLS AND RAILINGS: gabled rubble overthrow to pedestrian gateway with ashlar skews and moulded finial; gablet coped, chamfered gatepiers with moulded stone finials; coped rubble boundary walls; cast and wrought iron railings.

Statement of Interest

The 'Old School', known originally as Burntisland Burgh School, replaced the 1803 building in Mount Pleasant which was subsequently occupied by Rev Hay Forbes' Episcopal School. The 'Elementary School' was destroyed by fire in 1913, but reconstructed as before.

Both the external window detail and the interior of the Old School are of exceptional quality.

External Links

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