Description

Designed by Andrew Scobie in 1874, the former Inverkeithing Primary School is a single-storey, symmetrical, ten-bay, H-plan, plain Tudor-style Board School with prominent gabled bays and hoodmoulded windows and doors. It is predominantly constructed in squared and coursed whinstone to the principal elevation and the remainder is built in snecked rubble. The school has an ashlar basecourse, droved ashlar quoins, rybats and dressings.

Principal (east) elevation: symmetrical. Central, slightly advanced gabled and finialled bay, tripartite transomed and mullioned hoodmoulded windows, scrolled label stops; three transomed windows to left. Slightly recessed gabled bay with bipartite transomed and mullioned windows to penultimate bay left; wide gabled bay to far left with hoodmoulded four-light transomed and mullioned windows, scrolled label stops. Gothic-arched doorway with shaped hoodmould recessed to left return, advanced piended two-bay section with transomed windows to left of doorway. Right section of identical arrangement.

North elevation: six-bay. Door with fanlight and sidelight inserted into former window opening to far left; five evenly spaced windows to right. Ground falling to east.

Rear (west) elevation: symmetrical. Large gabled breaking eaves dormers with slate cheeks to advanced end pavilions, large bipartite windows. Central eight-bay recessed block, central cement-rendered chimneystack, three flanking windows; flat-roofed porches with advanced single pitch bays in re-entrant angles. Sunken boiler house advanced to middle of centre block. Rendered cement boiler stack.

South elevation: six-bay with six bipartite windows to wallhead. Ground falling to east.

The windows are in a lying pane glazing pattern and there are four-pane sash and case windows at the rear. There are pitched and piended roofs with graded grey slates and moulded ashlar skews and skewputts.

Interior (seen 2004): original classroom layouts mostly intact. Typical central schoolroom with subsidiary classrooms to each wing (that to north converted into cafeteria). Tongue and groove timber wainscot throughout. No fireplaces remaining.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the early-20th century primary school building, entrance gatepiers and gateways, boundary walls and playshed.

Statement of Interest

The former Inverkeithing primary school is on a prominent site high above the burgh's main street. A grammar school was established in Church Street, Inverkeithing in 1819 (now demolished, and the site of the war memorial, LB49941). Shortly after the 1872 Education Scotland Act, a new primary school was erected in Roods Road in 1874, after which time the grammar school was used for infant classes.

This former primary school building was designed by local architect, Andrew Scobie, and it remains a good, representative example of a Board School built soon after the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act. The building has good quality stonework detailing and the interior has typical detailing for a school of this date The building has not been significantly altered or extended since it was built in the late 19th century which is unusual for a school of this date.

The architect, Andrew Scobie, was a relatively well-known architect to the Dunfermline area and had already completed a number of important commissions, including Bruce Street Hall (1866). Scobie was simultaneously awarded two school commissions in 1874 and as well as designing the modest school at Inverkeithing, he also produced a more overtly Gothic design for Milesmark Primary School, Rumblingwell, Dunfermline. Scobie specialised in public commissions and when his son joined him after the turn of the 20th century, their practice would continue to undertake more school commissions, including that at Brock Street, North Queensferry (listed at B, LB49038).

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the early-20th century primary school building, entrance gatepiers and gateways, boundary walls and playshed.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2020. Previously listed as 'Roods Road, Inverkeithing Primary Schools, including boundary walls and playshed'.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77780907

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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