Description

Ronald Walker, 1888; refurbished 1991. 2-storey and raised basement, 4-bay, yellow sandstone, Queen Anne style board school. stone-cleaned ashlar with roughly squared rubble to sides and rear, and dressed ashlar margins. Deep base course; band and cill courses; channelled masonry and cavetto cornice to principal floor; cill, impost and eaves courses to 1st floor. Keystoned, depressed arch windows; architraved surrounds to ground floor; chamfered arrises, stone transoms and mullions.

NE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Raised basement with low gabled extension with symmetrical fenestration projecting to centre bays and shallow tripartite windows (altered) to outer bays: principal floor with 4-part transomed windows to centre bays and 6-part transomed windows to flanking bays, centre of frieze above with 'ALLAN'S SCHOOL'. 1st floor centre bays with 4-part transomed windows breaking eaves to tall, finialled, curvilinear gableheads with swagging and shell-motif in crowning semicircular pediment; outer bays with altered depressed arch windows with flanking paired pilasters and diminutive scrollwork above impost course, each breaking eaves into dominant pediment with arrowslit, that to left inscribed 'STIRLING BURGH' on frieze and that to right 'SCHOOL BOARD'.

NW ELEVATION: 6-bay elevation with 6-part transomed window to each floor and pedimented dormerhead breaking eaves in ashlar bay to outer left, small porch projecting immediately to right with semicircular-pedimented arch on return to left abutting boundary wall. Symmetrical fenestration to remaining bays with slightly advanced centre bay breaking eaves into pedimented belfry(?) and mansard roof to outer right.

SE ELEVATION: symmetrical fenestration, outer right bay with altered door and small projecting porch with paired arch linked by centre panel inscribed 'GIRLS AND INFANTS' and semicircular pediment over on return to right, and broad depressed arch on return to left.

SW ELEVATION: altered but retaining advanced gable to centre and mullioned windows to left.

Modern windows. Grey slates. Ashlar-coped skews with moulded skewputts to S.

BOUNDARY WALLS: stugged, squared rubble boundary walls with saddleback coping and inset decorative iron railings.

Statement of Interest

A plaque erected after the 1991 refurbishment explains that "This school opened in January 1891, designed for 850 pupils and incorporating 'the most recent improvements in school architecture.' Mr John Allan, a Stirling lawyer who died in 1724, had left money for the education of the sons of poor artisans. The original school was on Broad Street and the pupils lived in as boarders." The use of Queen Anne for schools was widespread in England but it is unusual to see such full-blown rendition in Scotland.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17847157

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
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  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
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  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
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  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)