Broomhill Primary School, Broomhill Road, Aberdeen

Broomhill Primary School, Broomhill Road, Aberdeen

Broomhill Primary School is a 3-storey school with attic storey, designed by Alexander Mavor in 1893 and extended in the early 20th century, probably by J A O Allan. The building is constructed in rough-faced granite ashlar at ground floor level, with tooled ashlar to the first floor and finely finished dressings and margins throughout. It features a base course, cill courses, band courses, and an eaves blocking course. The architectural style incorporates baroque detailing.

The principal south-east elevation is symmetrical and 5-bayed, arranged as 1-3-1, with the three central bays recessed. The centre bay contains paired windows on each floor, with architraved and corniced windows throughout all storeys and tripartite openings to the first and second floors, breaking the eaves course with a pediment. Single windows flank the centre bay to the outer left and right. The advanced bays to the outer left and right both feature tripartite architraved and corniced windows through all floors, with depressed-arched windows to ground floor level marked by keystone motifs. Each of these outer bays is surmounted by a pediment on the second floor, with an oeil-de-beuf opening at its centre, flanked by pilasters topped by spherical finials.

The north-east elevation is asymmetrical with three bays. A wing is advanced to the right, featuring an architraved tripartite window to the first floor with regular fenestration to the returns. A flat-roofed harled addition occupies the re-entrant angle to the left, with a tall stair window above, flanked by single windows and paired small windows, and three windows to the second floor. The bay to the left is slightly advanced, with tripartite architraved and corniced windows through all floors, depressed-arched ground floor windows with keystone motifs, and a pediment to the second floor with an oeil-de-beuf opening centred between flanking pilasters topped by spherical finials. Single windows flank to the right.

The north-west elevation is near-symmetrical with four bays. Triple windows occupy the centre two bays through all floors. The bays to left and right are advanced, each featuring tripartite windows through all floors and a pediment surmounting the eaves course, with an oeil-de-beuf set at its centre. Irregular windows flank to left and right, with wings to the outer left and right.

The south-west elevation is asymmetrical with three bays. A wing is advanced to the left with regular fenestration to each floor and returns. The central bay features near-regular fenestration, and the bay advanced to the right displays tripartite architraved and corniced windows through all floors, depressed-arched ground floor windows with keystone motifs, and a pediment to the second floor with an oeil-de-beuf opening centred between flanking pilasters topped by spherical finials.

The roof is piended and platformed slate with lead ridges. Ridge stacks are corniced with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present throughout. Windows have been replaced. The interior was not seen at the time of survey in 2001.

The gates, gatepiers, and boundary walls form an important part of the setting. Square-plan gatepiers with banded rustication and decorative caps are located to the south-east and north-east, with a 2-leaf iron gate to the north-east and 3 gatepiers with a double 2-leaf gate to the south-east. Low rough-faced quadrant walls flank the gatepiers, with hooped railings enclosing the garden ground behind the walls. High coped walls are present to the north-west.

The lodge at 88 Gray Street stands to the north of the school. It is constructed in tooled coursed grey granite with finely finished dressings. The 2-bay principal elevation faces north-east, with a doorway to the left featuring a pilastered panelled timber door. A gabled bay is advanced to the right with an architraved tripartite window at its centre and a small opening set in the gablehead. An extension extends to the south-west. The lodge has replacement windows, a grey slate roof with lead ridges, and a corniced ridge stack.