Description

Reid and Forbes, 1936. Art Deco style school; 2 blocks with flat roofs and towers. Harled brick with sandstone dressings. Base courses; moulded cills to 1st floor windows; eaves band courses; low relief detailing to towers and doors, seemingly derived from South American sources.

PRINCIPAL BLOCK:

SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 2-storey symmetrical range with tower at centre and single storey blocks adjoining to outer left and right. Advanced open porch with broad canopy at centre; architraved doorway; decorative 2-leaf panelled doors; advanced blocks with 3 windows flanking porch, 3 windows (outer lights advanced) at 1st floor behind porch; tower above with canopied bell louvres and clock; Aztec style detailing. Ranges flanking tower with 3 large widnows to each floor; stylized doorpieces to outer left right of ranges with carved decorative panels above; decorative panels above; decorative 2-leaf panelled doors. Later lbocks adjoining to outer left.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: 2-storey symmetrical range with advanced bay at centre and advanced single storey cloakroom blocks adjoining pavilions to outer left and right; band course at 1st floor lintol level. Steps up to doorway at centre; windows flanking doorway. 3 bays to left and right with large windows at ground, small windows at ground, smaller windows at 1st floor and 2-pane windows above band course. Windows at 1st floor to pavilion blocks.

SCIENCE BLOCK: U-plan.

SE (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: entrance tower with 9-bay range adjoining to right. Detailing of entrance tower similar to that of main clock tower; advnaced doorpiece and surround to stairwindow; moulded quoin strips. Polygonal corner window at ground to outer right. Windows to both floors in remaining bays.

SW ELEVATION: advanced ground floor with semi-circular block to outer right; architraved doorway with panelled 2-leaf doors; strip windows to ground and 1st floors.

NE ELEVATION: 3-bay range with partially glazed roof; later 4-bay range adjoining to right.

NW ELEVATION: 2 ranges advanced to form U-plan. Lying-pane fixed and casement metal windows with border glazing. Flat roof.

INTERIOR: foyer: glazed doors with Deco handles; geometric polished granite floor with decorative corner details; original light fittings; plain cornice.

Statement of Interest

Reid and Forbes specialised in designing Modern Movement schools with distinctive South American detailing, including the former Leith Academy, Niddrie Marischal School, Inverness Acadmey and Chirnside Primary School.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17838488

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]