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Summary

Description

Alexander Ellis, dated 1865. 2-storey, 6-bay, roughly T-plan former Episcopalian School situated behind King Street in confined site next to St Andrews Cathedral (see separate listing). Coursed and snecked granite rubble, dry dash to E and S. Later, lower 20th century extension to re-entrant angle to SE.

N elevation with 6-panel timber former entrance door to far left with tall 4-light fanlight above. Central commemorative plaque (see Notes) with decorative date plaque below.

Predominantly 24-pane timber windows with dominant timber mullion and transom to ground. Bipartite round-arched multi-pane casement windows to upper storey. Grey slates. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Coped gable and ridge stacks. Coped skews and skew-putts.

INTERIOR: original room plan largely extant, comprising 2 large rooms with open-frame timber roof. Some Classical fire surrounds. Timber flooring. Timber dog-let stair. Some timber dado panelling. 2 and 4-panel timber doors. Some smaller rooms with glass and timber screens.

Statement of Special Interest

This pre-1872 Education Act former School was built by local architect Alexander Ellis and is notable for its unusual glazing pattern and near-intact interior. It lies immediately to the South of St Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral, for which it was the denominational school and it is approached by pends from both King Street and Castle Street.

Alexander Ellis (1830-1917) was an Aberdeen architect who worked mainly in Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland. He formed a partnership with R G Wilson from 1869-1896 and together they designed many public and private buildings in Aberdeen, including the Station Hotel and Victoria Buildings (see separate listings).

The school, for both boys and girls, was founded in 1865 on ground bequeathed by the head beadle of the church, John Rough. This is commemorated on the plaque on the North elevation. The school was distinguished by its good results and teaching from the beginning and it was soon overcrowded with 480 pupils by the late 1880s. The running costs, however, were often difficult for the church to maintain and the Education Bill of 1919 transferred the running of Denominational schools to the Local Authority. The costs to the Church were still high, however, and in 1938 the pupils amalgamated with the pupils of St Margarets School in the Gallowgate and the School was subsequently closed on 1st July of that year.

The Commemorative plaque on North elevation has the inscription: JOHN ROUGH (OBIIT APRIL 6 1860) BEQUEATHED THIS SITE WITH THE SUM OF TWO HUNDRED POUNDS STG TOWARDS BUILDING THESE SCHOOLS.

The building is currently commercial premises (2006).

References

Bibliography

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