Workshops, Tynecastle High School, Mcleod Street, Edinburgh

Designed by John Alexander Carfrae and built between 1910 and 1911, with later additions. This is an extensive L-plan Free Renaissance school building with some Carolingian detail. The canted pedimented entrance sits across the apex of the L, topped by a timber bellcote cupola. A further wing extends behind, while detached workshop ranges complete the quadrangle. Additional buildings including a dining hall and gymnasium have been added within the schoolyard.

Exterior Materials and General Character

The building is harled with cream or red ashlar dressings, or red brick. Gable and dormerheads feature cream ashlar pediments. A red brick base course extends to ground floor cill level, and red brick cills continue to the 1st floor windows. Stacks are banded in red brick with copes. Grey slate roofing is employed throughout, with moulded red ashlar skews. Cast-iron gutters and downpipes serve the building. Multi-pane timber sash and case windows are used throughout.

Entrance Bay

The entrance bay comprises a broad chamfered bay at the outer corner of the L-plan, rising 3 storeys. The ground floor features a red ashlar Gibbsian doorpiece with an open segmental pediment, flanked by panelled double doors with semicircular decorative fanlight. Small bipartite windows with round-headed surrounds sit either side. At 1st floor, a pair of tripartite windows are present. The 2nd floor carries a bracketed balconette with iron railings and a tripartite aedicule featuring 2-leaf 6-pane glazed and panelled doors. An elongated red ashlar doorpiece with ionic columns and an open pediment surmounts this. A large plaque symbolising 'education' sits in a roundel between the capitals. Six-pane windows flank the doorpiece, bridged by a cornice, with scrolled cornucopia resting on the window cornices flanking the columns. A red ashlar cill course runs across. Pilaster quoins with red brick banding support an open cream ashlar pediment that echoes the balconette pediment, both corniced. Crowning this is a classical octagonal cupola with dentilled cornice, copper dome, and brass finial.

McLeod Street (East) Elevation

The eastern elevation rises 2 storeys and is composed in 3 sections with red brick banding throughout. The first (northern) section contains 22 bays. The 1st bay from the left has a narrow bipartite window at ground and tripartite above; all other windows are taller, with one to each bay. The 2nd bay features a cream ashlar triangular pedimented dormerhead flanked by wallhead stacks. The penultimate bay has broad windows to each floor. The final bay contains iron stairs leading to a slightly raised glazed and panelled door, with a fanlight extending into a round-headed window. A cream ashlar open pediment sits above, set into the wall, flanked by blocking pilasters. A window in the half-basement lies below the door.

Central bays are arranged as 6 groups of 3 with wallhead stacks between groups. In each group, the central bay has blocking at both floors, a moulded cill at 1st floor, and a cream ashlar pedimented dormerhead—alternating between triangular and segmental forms. The central window just breaks the eaves line and is broader than flanking windows. The 2nd section comprises 3 bays with a lower roofline. Its central bay has cream ashlar margins. A panelled door with corniced doorpiece is surmounted by a segmental-headed window with keystone; the 1st floor window has a segmental pediment. Bays flanking this door are banded by pilasters supporting an open pedimented dormerhead. Flanking bays contain tripartite windows to both floors, the upper ones taller. The ground floor windows appear elevated compared to the door due to falling ground.

The final northern block has an entrance bay with corniced doorpiece and round-headed window with keystone. A wallhead stack sits to the right. 3 closely spaced bays reach toward the canted corner, with the central canted bay breaking the eaves and displaying an open pedimented dormerhead; blocking appears to all 3 bays. A single bay return follows. A further canted corner with plain door and pedimented dormerheaded window above turns the corner to a plain rear elevation.

South Elevation

The south elevation is a 2-storey 22-bay range, largely mirroring the north elevation but on level ground, so the end bay has no door. A small tripartite window has been inserted between pilasters above the base course. A single storey blank bay lies beyond. A later single storey 5-bay dormerheaded building extends to the west.

Courtyard Elevations

Courtyard elevations are plain harled with irregular fenestration. A gabled hall projects from one angle. Many later additions and alterations are present within the courtyard.

Workshops

A 2-storey L-plan gabled brick workshop range to the north and east was designed by Carfrae in 1910, prior to the main school building. It remains virtually unchanged, detailed as the main building, with open internal stairs in round-headed openings and external iron galleries at 1st floor level. Large multi-pane windows occupy the ground floor. The south half of the east range is a later addition, constructed as a single storey.

Gates, Gatepiers and Railings

Red ashlar rectangular gatepiers at the entrance feature engaged part columns and cornice, surmounted by wrought-iron gates. A low rubble wall fronting McLeod Street has ashlar saddleback coping and cast-iron railings.