Fairlawn School

Fairlawn School, bounded by Fairlawn Road, Fairfield Road and Falkland Road

Built in 1898 for the Bristol School Board, Fairlawn School was designed by William Larkins Bernard FRIBA (1843–1922), who served as principal architect to the Bristol School Board from 1888. The building is constructed of squared Pennant Sandstone rubble with red brick and terra cotta dressings, beneath double Roman tiled roofs.

The main south-facing elevation features a pair of pedimented doorcases (the left-hand one now blocked) positioned below three-storey projections fronting the central hall. A plain ashlar side wall runs to the left. The right side comprises a three-bay classroom block with a gable end, containing arched openings to the ground floor, small square windows to offices on the first floor, and tall windows to the classroom above. The west elevation facing Fairlawn Road displays three gabled units, each containing two orders of windows serving the classrooms, divided by brick pilasters. The north elevation echoes the south front, with gable ends to the left and right wings and a low projection to the left. The east elevation features a recessed centre containing two orders of arched windows—two to the ground floor and four to the upper floor—lighting the central halls. A square ventilation louvre with finial and weathervane crowns the central roof ridge.

An L-shaped lower block occupies the south-east corner of the triangular site. Two parallel ranges run along Falkland Road, each with segmental gabled ends over arched windows to the first floor. A lower continuation to the north contains two lower segmental gables and a pediment over windows. The pedimented doorcases here contain the Bristol School Board monogram and the date 1898 in their tympana. A north-facing return of three bays features pediments over windows and segmental gable ends to the roof ridge. The southern return to Fairfield Road comprises five bays with pediments over tall first-floor windows and arched windows to the ground floor, with segmental gabled ends to the roof ridge. A tall boiler house chimney stands behind, featuring a corbel table to its upper slatted section. A lower link connects to the parallel ranges, which have segmental gabled ends and three tall windows to the right-hand range. Two further ranges run behind these, with segmental gables to the west ends of their ridges and a square louvre to the higher roof ridge. Most windows are original sash windows in a variety of configurations.

The main block comprises a central hall with classrooms at its corners and along the west side, with staircases at either end. Ceilings to the classrooms and upper hall have been lowered; otherwise the interiors remain largely intact, with arched windows overlooking the halls. The staircases are lined with glazed bricks featuring circular bosses above. The lower hall contains a war memorial screen. The lower L-shaped block, formerly the infants' school with a recreation hall and boiler room attached, has undergone more recent internal alterations.

Subsidiary features include attached rubble stone boundary walls and railings, and a long narrow block along the south wall that formerly contained lavatories and washrooms. A metal plaque affixed to the main block in 1996 by the British Film Institute commemorates the fact that Cary Grant (born Archibald Leach) was a pupil here during 1915–1918.

Fairlawn School forms a highly picturesque composition that remains little altered, making it a fine example of a Board School.