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Summary

Description

John Starforth, 1875, enlarged in 1882; further additions and interior alterations 1934; late 20th century nursery extension to E. Extensive asymmetrical I-plan rustic gothic single storey school building sited on raised ground. Punctuating projecting gable bays to front and rear; later rendered flat roof extensions to rear including 5-bay double height gymnasium hall with copper pyramidal ventilators. Advanced shouldered centre gable with beaked skewputts and arched bellcote; pointed arched gable windows with quatrefoils to apexes; squared multi-pane windows to main sections; square plan pyramidal slated and louvered ridge ventilators. Coursed rubble; rock faced sandstone quoins and margins with smooth chamfers.

Multi-pane steel fixed casement windows with pivot ventilators dating from 1934 (some modern aluminium replacements to same pattern). Finely graduated green slate roofs; advanced shouldered octagonal ridge and eaves stacks; sawtooth skews; beaked skewputts; square section cast-iron gutters and downpipes.

INTERIOR: planned around central corridor with main classrooms of and services to rear. The school retains many of its original detail including pitch pine twin swing doors to corridor with brass details and timber panelling to dado height. The 1934 timber panelled screen to gym is a fine example of timber engineering affording a flexible layout to the main spaces.

ANCILLARY STRUCTURES: 2 ranges of open-sided bicycle sheds and shelters; rubble walls; cast-iron columns and piended slate roofs.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND GATEPIERS: Coursed whin rubble walls with heavy sandstone copes linking with schoolhouse wall to W; rock faced ashlar gatepiers with shallow pyramid capitals. Tall galvanised fence to N against ground steeply sloping away. The remains of a 2nd World War gun battery remains in playground to rear. Decorative cast-iron lamp standards to garden ground.

Statement of Special Interest

The Burgh School is a good example of a larger board school which, although it has included later additions, still maintains much of its original character. It demonstrates good gothic detailing and is largely in its original plan form. The school has a strong visual link across the playground with the former Schoolhouse to the W, also listed at category C(S), and is built on a prominent site between the housing area and Bank Street.

The Burgh Primary School was built as the main Burgh School after the passing of the Education act of 1872 to provide for the expanding population to the SW of Galashiels. It was erected in 1875 as a symmetrical H-plan at a cost of £4900, but due to a large increase in the number of pupils it was extended in 1882 with a new T-plan section to the E, thereby accommodating a total of 920 pupils.

The 1934 additions and alterations to upgrade the school included the flat-roofed extensions to the rear, introduction of electric light and heating and redesigning the internal glazing to the classrooms to improve cross ventilation. The most significant addition was the central hall and gymnasium which has an impressive folding timber panelled screen to open the hall into the main cloakroom to seat 300. In 1967 the toilet blocks to the rear were demolished and the services brought into the main building.

References

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