89 Duke Street (Former Leith Academy), Edinburgh

Former Leith Academy, 89 Duke Street, Edinburgh

Designed by G Reid and J Smith Forbes and constructed in 1930–31, this is a monumental three-storey secondary school of hollow pentagon plan with a hall cutting across the central courtyard. The building is constructed in red brick with cream sandstone ashlar to the ground floor and decorative dressings. A basement extends to the north.

The architectural detailing is classical throughout, with a base course, moulded string course above the ground floor, moulded cill course at second floor level, and banded ashlar eaves course, cornice and blocking course at roof level.

The south elevation, which serves as the main entrance, comprises 19 bays with single windows per floor per bay. The central seven bays are advanced and feature quoins above ground floor level, a tall ashlar parapet, lion heads and an acroterion with scroll base to the centre. Ground floor windows are architraved and corniced; second floor windows have ashlar panels as aprons. The entrance itself is a round-arched and keystoned doorway with a deep-set two-leaf panelled door and semi-circular fanlight, flanked by two small windows. Larger windows occupy the outer bays. A cornice and shallow parapet raised over the three centre bays bear the inscription 'LEITH ACADEMY SECONDARY SCHOOL' framed by sculptured lion heads. The windows of the centre bay are recessed within a moulded ashlar panel with a carved school crest positioned between.

A tall timber rooftop clock tower rises from the centre, decorated with pierced cast-iron panels, with clock faces to each side set within gilt surrounds and a gilded urn finial surmounted by a weathervane.

The west elevation facing Duncan Place comprises nine bays with seven centre bays advanced. The centre bays feature ashlar at ground floor with a round-arched doorway containing a two-leaf door and semi-circular fanlight with ornate radial astragal pattern. Above this is an advanced bay containing three stair windows with fluted aprons in a moulded recessed ashlar bay. A cast-iron balcony on ashlar brackets serves the first floor window. A blocking course bearing a fluted tablet sits above. An angled outer right bay presents a large blank panel at ground floor and a giant round-arched recess with scroll-flanked acroterion above the second floor string course, blind oculi to the spandrels, and a blocking course bearing a fluted tablet above. Recessed bays to the outer left and penultimate right contain small windows.

The northwest elevation comprises 13 bays with ashlar basement and single windows per bay and floor. Five centre bays are advanced with quoins above the ashlar ground floor. A blocking course bearing a tablet flanked by corner urns sits above, with second floor windows featuring ashlar panel aprons. A recessed lower single-bay stair block with ground floor entrance and single windows above is located to the side.

The northeast rear elevation features two bays, with single-bay stair blocks forming splayed wings. Between these wings sits a two-storey and basement flat-roofed canted service block.

The east elevation facing Leith Links comprises ten bays with five centre bays advanced. The detailing mirrors the northwest elevation, except with brick quoins at ground floor rather than ashlar.

The southeast elevation mirrors the west elevation.

The internal courtyard is crossed by a two-storey, ten-bay flat-roofed assembly hall with wide casements at ground floor and wide round-arched windows with timber mullions divided by shallow brick pilasters at first floor. A low brick parapet with plain railing fronts the roof garden.

Throughout the building, windows are timber sash and case, predominantly 12-pane (now mostly boarded up). The assembly hall features multi-pane casements and hopper windows. The roof is covered in green slate with lead flashings. Two ornamental brick stacks with tapering ashlar heads rise above the main entrance block; a tall square brick stack serves the boilerhouse at the rear of the assembly hall. Moulded eaves gutters and gutterheads complete the external detail.

The main vestibule interior displays a Neo-Georgian decorative scheme of panelled pilasters and square columns, with anthemion and acroterion to frieze and cornices marking the columns. Memorial panels and the school crest are positioned on the walls. Moulded doorways with radial astragal fanlights and concentric plaster mouldings to the ceiling complete the scheme. The main assembly hall features a similar but simpler decorative treatment.

The boundary comprises a low rubble wall with square coped ashlar gatepiers positioned to the west, southeast and south elevations, each detailed with paterae, railings and decorative main gates.