Description

1878. Near symmetrical, single-storey, U-plan former school with advanced gable-ends to outer bays situated on raised terraced ground above Galashiels Road; detached former schoolmaster's house to SE. Squared and snecked whinstone rubble with buff sandstone dressings. Raised cills. Separate boys and girls entrance outshots; timber bargeboarding to over-hanging eaves; tall pyramidal-capped roof ventilators.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: PRINCIPAL (W) ELEVATION: 4 bays with advanced gables to outer bays. Lower gabled girls and boys entrance porches advanced from re-entrant angles with shouldered wallhead stack to centre projecting through overhanging eaves and flanked by gableted bipartite windows breaking eaves. Timber doors with cast-iron hinges with forestair and turned cast-iron railings. Low, flat-roof outshots to outer bays.

SCHOOLMASTER'S HOUSE: 2-storey, 3-bay, L-plan with advanced gable to left. Timber door with roll-moulded margin to centre; tri-partite stone-mullioned window to right with dormer window breaking eaves above. Interior: timber doors; simple plaster cornicing; 4 of original 6 servants bells; flagsone floor to the former laundry room.

Both buildings: grey slate. Multi-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Coped, end and ridge stacks with octagonal clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Statement of Interest

This former school building is a well-detailed and attractively composed example of its type retaining its individual boys and girls entrances, timber bargeboarding, over-hanging eaves and elegant pyramidal-roofed ventilators. It follows the Victorian model of school building of the period, built soon after the Education Act of 1872 which made education compulsory for all children aged 5 to 13. Prominently located on terraced ground above the Galashiels Road (A7) both school and master's house provide valuable evidence of the civic and educational development of the area and make a significant and positive contribution to the streetscape. The former masters house forms an integral and unified part of the overall design.

The school originally consisted of four classrooms running the length of the building. An infant room was at the N end and headmaster's room to the S end. The two large middle classrooms were divided by a moveable partition that could be adjusted to make one large room. This space was latterly used as an assembly hall with gymnasium bars. The small former staff room is also at the N end of the building, down a small flight of steps. The projecting entrance porches for boys and girls each had a small cloakroom off, containing 2 wash basins. In 1958 a number of alterations and flat-roofed additions were made, primarily to the rear of the building.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q77781227

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)