Description

James Davidson, 1902. Single storey and basement, essentially rectangular plan, Renaissance-detailed school, built on falling ground. Bull-faced sandstone coursers at basement, snecked rubble and ashlar to principal floor, ashlar dressings, modern tile roof. Single 6-pane windows to basement, mostly single and bipartite 10-pane sash and case windows to principal floor; cill course, Ionic pilasters, corniced parapet with urn finials and stepped gables to angle pavilions.

FRONT ELEVATION: symmetrical; ogival-headed and lugged moulded

doorcase to centre, keystoned and architraved oval window above, broken segmental pediment with obelisk finial at parapet, large cross-window to left and right with moulded lugged architrave and pedimented transom; slightly advanced 3-bay pavilion to left an right, tripartite depressed-arch window to centre flanked by single windows and pilasters, 4 basement windows to left pavilion.

SIDE ELEVATIONS: asymmetrical; plainer than front elevation but with similar detailing.

INTERIOR: largely unaltered, some pedimented overdoors. Fine Art Nouveau tiles to entrance hall.

BOUNDARY WALLS, RAILINGS AND GATES: Coped snecked rubble boundary walls with original iron railings and gates, various gatepiers and gateways.

Statement of Interest

A good example of a primary school in Renaissance style prominently sited on a sloping ground and demonstrating some ornate decorative stone detailing particularly the urns to the gables and wallheads, an unusual feature in board schools which on balance have plainer elevations. Greenhill School also has fine boundary walls and railings in their original form and good interior details such as the central circulation hall and some fine art nouveau style decorative wall tiles.

Davidson was one of Coatbridge's most prolific and successful architects, designing many schools for the Old Monklands School Board between 1892 and 1914. His career as a school designer possibly stemmed from his ambitious design for Coatbridge Technical College of 1890. All of his schools present high quality finishes and demonstrate good compositions and fine architectural detailing (interior and exterior), mostly in the Free-Renaissance idiom but also presenting some of the flair found in contemporary urban architecture of Glasgow. Davidson's schools include Calderbank Public School, 1892; Greenhill Primary School, 1902 (see separate listing); Gartsherrie Primary School, 1906; and the largest primary, Langloan Primary School, 1914. Other prominent Coatbridge buildings by Davidson include Airdrie Savings Bank, 1920 (see separate listing); Ross Street Hall; Glenboig Union Fireclay Co; Broomknoll Parish Church. However he is best known for his design (along with J D Swanston) for the King's Theatre in Edinburgh, 1905-1906 (see separate listing). Perhaps some of Davidson's success in gaining public commissions came through his role as councillor, magistrate and later as Provost of Coatbridge during 1909 12; however, his prominence did not preclude his skill as a competent and often inventive architect.

List description updated following change of category from B to C(S) in 2012.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56628611

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

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  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
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