Trossachs Primary School Schoolhouse, Brig O'Turk, Trossachs and Teith, Stirling

Description

Loch Lomond And Trossachs National Park Planning Authority

Dated 1875, Trossachs Primary School was built as a schoolroom with adjoining schoolhouse, to replace the original school built by the SSPCK in Brig O'Turk in 1719. Although the school has been extended and the interior modernised to facilitate educational needs, the original architectural character of the building, typical of the size and style built in the villages of the Trossachs at this time, has been largely retained.

The original school and house complex had a T-plan layout, the schoolroom forming the vertical jamb with the adjoining house across the top. The principal elevation (facing SW) is multi-gabled, using these gables to make a clear distinction between schoolroom and schoolhouse. The schoolhouse occupies a large 2-bay advanced gable to the left, whilst the 3-bay schoolroom set back to the right has a symmetrical hierarchy of 3 smaller gables, and a stepped façade. The gables have plain bargeboards, supported on carved decorative timber brackets, whilst the projected eaves has plain timber brackets.

The schoolhouse has a doorway to the right-hand side to its advanced gable front, with a stepped, banded hoodmould framing an ashlar plaque that is dated 1875. The window surrounds of the house have a thin tooled margin, stop-chamfered at the sides, with stugged, long and short ashlar to the outer surrounds. The side (NW) elevation originally had a 2-bay, symmetrical glazing pattern, the bays set to the far left and right of the elevation with gabled wallhead, breaking eaves dormers and a window below at ground floor. This pattern has been upset by the addition of a later window in the middle (off-centre left) at ground floor. The overhanging eaves of this elevation have plain brackets, and a tall, shouldered and capped wallhead chimney sits to the left of the right-hand dormer. The gabled rear elevation of the house is plain, but for a single window at ground floor and a later lean-to shed. A timber, pitch-roofed porch sits to the left of this gable, in the return between schoolhouse and school. Another dormer window sits above this porch, looking SE along the roofline of the adjoining school. Internal access to the schoolhouse was not obtained at the time of resurvey (2005).

The principal elevation of the school originally had only 2 gabled bays. To the centre is a small early 20th century addition projecting to the SW, the lean-to roof returning to the main eaves of the building. A gabled, timber boarded wallhead dormer raises the window level inside, and forms the 3rd gable at the centre of the main schoolroom elevation. Set back from this office are 2 tall, breaking eaves gables, 1 to either side of the later addition. Each bay has a segmental archway to the centre, with 2-light segmental-arched windows inset. To each side of these bays the wall is again stepped back. This SW elevation of the school originally provided a formal entrance to the school. The segmental archways now infilled, once held separate 'Boys' and 'Girls' entrances, whilst the central office had a doorway to the right return which today is stone infilled with a small window. This doorway may have replaced the two original entrances when the aforementioned extension was added in the early 20th century, and has a decorative splayed and banded surround with a projecting stylised keystone. Conversion of the school for modern educational needs has drastically changed the internal layout and circulation through the building, and the entrance is now through a security door on the SE elevation of a flat-roofed 1964 addition to the rear of the school. Previous to this extension, the gabled SE (side) and NE (rear) elevations were unused, other than for a large transom and mullioned window on the side elevation. The rear of the school is now largely obscured by the mid 20th century extension, leaving only 2 windows of the original NE elevation in place, to the right of the extension.

Internally, only the curved timbers of the original braced arch roof structure remain in place, corbelled from the mid-height of the wall on decorative brackets. There are 6 bays of these arches, however only the bottom section of these timbers are visible today as they are hidden by a false, panelled ceiling dating from the early 1990's, installed after a fire in the school. The condition of these timbers above the false ceiling are unknown.

Materials

Squared whinstone and sandstone rubble to principal elevation; tooled and stugged ashlar dressings; random rubble to sides and rear. Lined mortar courses to principal elevation; heavily pointed to sides and rear. Timber bargeboards and brackets. 4-pane, timber sash and case windows to schoolhouse. PVCu single and 3-light windows and doors to school. Pitched roofs; grey slates to schoolhouse; modern (late 20th century) grey and purple slate to school. Ashlar, capped stacks; conical, capped, tapered cans (20th century) to schoolhouse; stack to school blocked.

Statement of Interest

Trossachs Primary School, built in 1875, replaced an earlier school that lay to the SE of this building (now a private dwelling). The school provides education for children from Brig O'Turk and the surrounding Loch Venacher and Loch Achray areas. The school and schoolhouse are now in separate ownership, with only the schoolhouse retaining its original glazing. The school was damaged by fire in the early 1990s, resulting in the school being re-roofed, however the adjoining schoolhouse escaped any significant damage.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing
Wikidata IDs Q77778603 Q77778606

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