Singlegate School And Gatepiers

Singlegate School and gatepiers, built in 1897 for the Mitcham School Board and designed by architect H.P. Burke-Downing, is a notable example of a board school. The building is constructed of red brick with half-timbered gables and stone dressings, topped with steeply pitched slate roofs that feature a timber cupola.

The school has a rectangular layout with tall, single-storey classrooms arranged around an entrance in South Gardens. A square stair tower, which has a pyramidal roof with louvres and a pinnacle, is located to the side. The building is adorned with tall, picturesque stacks. Classrooms on the south and west elevations have paired bays under high gables; the west elevation features Ionic order and oeil de boeuf windows, while the south elevation has volutes and keystones. The classroom facing South Gardens has a tripartite window and a louvre in the gable. The eastern elevation has a long range of gabled classrooms. The staircase tower includes stone windows with Gothic tracery, while the other windows are large timber top-opening casements situated under the gables.

The main entrance is flanked by stone gatepiers with raised bands and rounded tops, while additional piers on Christchurch Road are made of banded brick and stone with ball tops. A small mid-20th century flat-roofed addition at the rear is not of interest. This school is recognized for its remarkably eclectic design by an important local architect.