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Summary

Description

James H Langlands and William G Lamond (front building to Bell Street); Robert Gibson (main building to rear), 1907.

FRONT BUILDING: 3-storey, 13-bay, symmetrical Edwardian Baroque style educational building. Red sandstone ashlar, channelled to ground floor pavilions, slate roof. Base course, moulded lintel course to ground, 1st and 2nd floors, corniced ground floor, wallhead course; 6-pane timber top-hopper windows with cavetto-splayed reveals and keystoned moulded lintels, sash and case to recessed bays at 2nd floor with pendant keyblocks and recessed dwarf Ionic columns; pediments to

advanced centre bay and pavilions.

FRONT ELEVATION: advanced centre bay. Round-headed entrance archway with cartouche keystone and cavetto-splayed reveals, 2 wrought-iron gates with richly decorated panels, small multi-pane windows to left and right, massive consoled broken pediment with swagged cartouche at tympanum; 3 windows to 1st and 2nd floors flanked by paired Ionic half-columns banded together at bottom third and with cartouche bases; keyblocked oculus at tympanum. 5 bays recessed to left and right, with

5 windows to all floors. Pavilions advanced to far left and right, each with keystoned, round-headed arch to ground floor and recessed multi-pane glazing (incorporating round-headed close entrance to Irvine Square), 2 windows to 1st floor, recessed window to pedimented 2nd floor with round-headed lintel panel, flanked by paired dwarf half columns and pilasters.

REAR (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 5-bay, symmetrical. Centre bay advanced; recessed, 2-storey, keystoned round-headed panel, rounded projecting bay at ground floor with 4 windows and demispherical roof flanked by bipartites, 5-light stair window to top at 1st floor, 5-light window to 2nd floor. 2 bays slightly recessed to left and right; keystoned round-headed windows to ground floor flanked by bipartites, bipartite and 4-light windows to 1st and 2nd floors.

INTERIOR: marble-lined entrance foyer, large segmental-arched inner doorpiece comprised of paired, pedimented 2-leaf semi-glazed doors with sidelights, leaded fanlight incorporating timber oculus and Art-Nouveau pattern stained glass. Imperial staircase with turned timber balusters, 8 elongated newel posts with decorative metal lampstandards, large Diocletian-type stair window with Art-Nouveau pattern stained glass to top, plaster relief figures representing learning and knowledge in spandrels. Panelled and boarded dado to principal corridors, oak dado with fielded and carved panelling at former former 1st floor board room.

REAR BUILDING: 3-storey quadrangle adjoining rear of front building. Stugged and snecked pinkish sandstone rubble, ashlar dressings, piended slate roof. String course to 1st and 2nd floors, corniced and coped blocking course; round-headed doorways with 2-leaf semi-glazed doors and sidelights, and leaded fanlights; mostly bi- and tripartite windows with chamfered arrises, timber frames with plate glass to bottom and

leaded top-hoppers. 3 hall-finialled gables with blind oculi to N

elevation. Cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative fixings.

N (OUTER) ELEVATION: 11-bay symmetrical block to centre; slightly advanced bay to centre, door to ground floor, 4-light window to 1st floor, 4-light segmental window to 2nd with gable above, 4 bays slightly recessed to left and right with 4 bipartites to all floors, bays slightly advanced to far left and right comprising keystoned, round-headed tripartite window to ground floor, tripartite to 1st and 2nd floor with gable above. 5 bays slightly recessed to outer left, ground floor masked by bay linking to former boiler house, 5 bipartite windows to 1st and 2nd floors, 3 bays slightly recessed to outer right with 3 bipartite windows to all floors, 2 single windows to each floor at right return elevation.

E (OUTER) ELEVATION TO IRVINE SQUARE: 7 bays to left with various windows to all floors.

W (OUTER) ELEVATION: original 3-bay elevation altered as part of later 20th century addition to W, with 2-storey link over right side bay.

S (INNER COURTYARD) ELEVATION: 6-bay, symmetrical. 2 slightly advanced bays to centre with 2 tripartite windows to all floors, single bays slightly recessed to left and right with 4-light windows to all floors; outer bays slightly advanced and splayed at re-entrant angle, door to ground floor, tripartite window to 1st and 2nd floors.

E AND W (INNER COURTYARD) ELEVATIONS: 5-bay, symmetrical. 3 slightly advanced bays to centre with 3 tripartite windows to all floors, slightly recessed bay to left and right with 4-light window to all floors.

INTERIOR: well stair with decorative metal balusters, supported on

3 Doric columns at ground floor, 3 Ionic columns at 1st floor and

3 Corinthian columns at 2nd floor.

FORMER BOILER HOUSE: advanced from NE angle of N elevation of quadrangle. 2-storey, rectangular-plan. Stugged and snecked pinkish rubble sandstone, piended slate roof. Base course, moulded cornice to ground floor, corniced and coped parapet, timber framed bipartite windows to ground floor, single pane to bottom with leaded top-hoppers, multi-pane horizontal oval windows above, 2 ranges of continuous rooflights.

W (INNER ELEVATION): 2-leaf panelled doors to centre right with keystoned round-headed doorcase and leaded fanlight, flanked by 2 windows, 5 oval windows above; slightly advanced bay to left, door to ground floor with oval window above; single-storey gabled bay to right with door, linking to N elevation of quadrangle.

E (OUTER) ELEVATION: 4 bipartite windows to upper level, keystoned round-headed doorway with 2-leaf panelled doors and fanlight to left, base of former chimney stalk to right.

INTERIOR: full height space, steel roof struts, base of stalk clad in white ceramic tiles, 1 original boiler remaining.

N WING: originally single storey over raised basement, 11-bay wing in style of main buildings, but with additions to 1st floor and W.

Statement of Special Interest

The front to Bell Street was a competition winning design. The later 20th century addition to the west is not listed. Until 1994, the interior of the boiler house was largely original, being a full height space with steel roof struts; the base of the stalk was clad in white ceramic tiles and 1 original boiler remained. The interior now has

2 floors and modern partitioning.

References

Bibliography

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