London Street Primary School, East London Street, Edinburgh

London Street Primary School, East London Street, Edinburgh

A symmetrical classical school building designed by Robert Wilson in 1887, with the rear enlarged by John A. Carfrae in 1910, and subsequent later 20th century additions. The principal northwest elevation displays 19 bays across two storeys with an attic, featuring a three-bay advanced pedimented pavilion at the centre with flanking two-storey, three-bay slightly advanced pedimented pavilions to left and right, and lower two-storey, two-bay wings to the outer left and right. A three-storey section runs from northeast to southwest behind the front elevation. The building is constructed in polished ashlar with a base course, ground floor cill course, and dividing bands between floors. The first and second floors have a dividing band and cornice between them, with an eaves cornice (dentilled to the outer wings and returns of the outer pavilions). Channelled quoins mark the pavilions and outer wings. Pilasters divide the bays of the left and right pavilions at first floor (with fluted capitals and paired pilasters between windows) and the attic floor of the central pavilion. Similar pilasters appear on the second storeys of the northeast and southwest elevations and the attic storey of the rear elevation. Fenestration is predominantly regular throughout.

The principal northwest elevation features steps leading to two timber panelled doors with rectangular fanlights at the second and eighteenth bays, positioned within pilastered doorpieces with consoled pediments. Windows are predominantly architraved; those to the central pavilion and flanking recessed sections have corniced architraves flanked by narrow pilasters at ground floor level. The central pavilion displays a continuous cornice above openings at first floor, and at attic floor features panelled pilasters with scrolled pediments at the corners, panelled aprons, and continuous cornice to the windows. The pediment contains a blind oculus at its centre with a scrolled acroterion at the apex.

The northeast elevation shows a two-storey, two-bay block at the centre with fenestration only to the slightly advanced pedimented left bay, featuring tripartite windows with pilastered mullions. A single-storey, four-bay modern block adjoins to the left with a projecting porch to the outer right bay. Rising behind the modern block is a three-storey, three-bay elevation (first and second floors visible) with pilasters dividing the bays at second floor. Recessed behind the central block stands a three-bay, three-storey pedimented block (second floor visible only) with pilasters dividing the windows. The side elevation and roof of the outer pavilion from the principal elevation are visible behind the central block, with a single bay visible to the right.

The southwest elevation mirrors this arrangement with a two-storey, two-bay block at the centre, fenestration only to the slightly advanced pedimented right bay, a ground floor two-leaf timber panelled door with letterbox fanlight and narrow window to the left, and a first floor tripartite window with pilastered mullions. A two-storey, two-bay modern block adjoins to the left. Behind and to the right of the modern block, a three-storey, four-bay elevation is visible (ground and first floors, with only the three right bays visible at ground level) with pilasters dividing bays at second floor. A three-bay, three-storey pedimented block is recessed behind the central block (second floor visible only) with pilasters dividing windows. The side elevation and roof of the outer pavilion are visible behind the central block, with a single bay visible to the left.

The rear southeast elevation features a three-bay, two-storey and attic advanced pedimented central pavilion. Flanking to the left is a two-bay, three-storey wing with a tall rendered stack to the right and, at second floor, a single pilaster to the left corner and a single bipartite window to the right. To the outer right, a five-bay, two-storey wing includes an 1885 bay with a bipartite window at first floor; to its left are four modern bays with a timber door with fanlight at the fourth bay from the left. Flanking the central pavilion to the right is a three-bay, two-storey wing with two bays at second floor marked by a cill course. To the outer left, a four-bay single-storey modern wing features a timber door and fanlight at the far left bay.

The glazing is predominantly 15-pane in timber sash and case windows, with 10-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows to tripartite and bipartite openings. Plate glass appears in timber windows to the attic storey of the principal elevation, and three-pane glazing in timber windows to the attic storey of the rear elevation. Modern sections feature plate-glass in top-hopper windows. The pitched leaded roofs have rooflights along the ridges to the central pavilions and inner three-storey block, while the 1910 and modern extensions have flat roofs. The remainder features piended, graded grey slate roofs. Two ornamental ventilators sit on each ridge of the wings flanking the central pavilion. Single corniced ashlar ridge stacks appear on each wing flanking the central pavilion to the front elevation; two corniced rendered wallhead stacks serve the front elevation of the inner three-storey block, with a corniced ashlar wallhead stack positioned to the right of the central block on the southwest elevation.

The boys' playshed is situated to the southeast of the main building. At its centre stands a two-storey, four-bay section with an open arcaded ground floor supported by cast-iron columns and, at first floor, hammer-dressed snecked masonry with long and short ashlar quoins and window margins, topped by an eaves cornice. To the left is a single-storey open two-bay arcaded shelter with cast-iron columns. To the right extends a six-bay single-storey wing (the former lavatory wing) in ashlar with a blocked door at the fourth bay from the left and high-level small openings (blocked) to the remaining bays, surrounded by modern railings. The central block features 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows with a piended roof of graded grey slate, a ridge ventilator, four rooflights to the front pitch, and a single rooflight to the northeast pitch. A rendered corniced stack with a circular can sits on the northeast pitch. The left wing has a leaded mono-pitch roof, and the right wing a piended felted roof.

The girls' playsheds and lavatory block is a long single-storey building situated immediately southwest of the main building, with ashlar to the front elevation and random rubble to the rear. To the left extends a long open seven-bay arcade with cast-iron columns. To the right stands the lavatory block with a mid-level band course, small high-level blind openings, and a ventilation grille to the roof. The building has a piended felted roof.

Boundary walls, railings, and gatepiers surround the site. The northwest and northeast boundaries feature dwarf ashlar walls surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog-bars. One pair of corniced square gatepiers breaks the northeast wall, while two pairs of corniced square gatepiers break the northwest wall at positions corresponding with the doorways to the front elevation; gates match the railings. At the southwest corner of the playground, a random rubble boundary wall with flat ashlar coping is surmounted by cast-iron railings. South of the main building, a length of random rubble walling with saddleback coping stands. Some cast-iron rainwater goods with ornamental hoppers are present throughout.