Description

1872; alterations John Bowie, 1907. 7-bay, near-rectangular, Gothic former school (now church hall) with traceried window to S gable, gabletted, shouldered, angle buttresses, semi-octagonal stair towers with cast-iron cross finials to E and W elevations, pointed-arch windows and gabletted vents to roof. 3-bay, 2-storey, attic and basement presbytery to N end. Squared, snecked sandstone with droved and polished ashlar dressings. Hoodmoulds to windows of gable and stair towers; hoodmould of ground floor window of stair towers continued as string course. Bays divided by shouldered buttresses.

S ELEVATION: former entrance (now walled-up) to centre with roll-moulded pointed-arch surround, elongated pilasters and traceried fanlight; flanking bipartite pointed-arch windows with crocketted Y-tracery; large, geometric-traceried window above with ball-stops to hoodmould. Gabletted skews; cross-finial to gable apex.

E ELEVATION: 2 slightly advanced shouldered chimney breasts flanking stair tower (stacks removed). 2 lancet windows to left of tower; 3 Y-traceried bipartite windows to right of tower.

W ELEVATION: replacement timber boarded doors to stair tower and outer-right bay. Slightly advanced chimney breast with stack to right of tower; blind bays to left of tower with late 20th century addition to outer left.

Diamond-pane leaded lights. Coped stacks with short yellow clay cans to presbytery. Graded grey slate; ashlar-coped skews.

INTERIOR OF HALL: timber panelling to dado. Splayed window jambs. Former timber panelled balcony at S end (now walled in to ceiling) supported on cast-iron columns. Timber floorboards. False ceiling.

BOUNDARY WALL, RAILINGS AND GATEPIERS: ashlar-coped snecked sandstone boundary wall surmounted by gothic-arched decorative cast-iron railings. Plain ashlar gatepiers with cushion-caps to centre (gateway walled up); single gabletted gothic gatepier to outer right with carved stonework depicting shepherd's crook and bishop's mitre.

Statement of Interest

B-Group with Towers of Old St Andrews Cathedral, Shakespeare Street (HBNUM 26342). Occupies a prominent position on Brooke Street, and is of importance to the streetscape. This former school building, which was also intended to be used for lectures and other entertainments, was erected following the 1872 Education Act, when the previous school building was found to be inadequate (the previous school has since been demolished, but its belfry still stands, and is listed as "Towers of Old St Andrews Cathedral, Shakespeare Street"). The cost of this new school was borne by Lord Herries. The school was taught by the teaching Order of the Marist Brothers, and the presbytery adjacent to the hall was originally built for them to live in.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77780021

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

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)