Longstone Primary School, 3A Redhall Grove, Edinburgh

G Reid and J Smith Forbes, designed in 1953 and built 1954-57. Longstone Primary School is a large primary school complex built in a horizontal, Art Deco style which is set to the edge of a contemporary housing development and surrounded by a large open area of playing grounds. The building consists of long rectangular plan and flat-roofed single and 2-storey blocks with a single storey main entrance at the centre of the north elevation and a 2-storey hall to the west incorporating a tower. There is a single storey corridor of offices and a further round ended infant classroom block to the rear creating a courtyard. The main classroom wing is a long linear 2-storey wing extending to the east with its principal decorative elevation facing the playing fields to the south, and single storey corridor, cloakroom and ancillary section to its north.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the external canopy to the west end of the infants classroom block linking to Redhall School.

The main entrance has a brick and concrete advanced tripartite frame forming an external porch with a similar detail around the 5 ground floor openings to the hall. The tower has 5 advanced niches at the south side arranged in a diagonal pattern with a single niche at the west side. There is a pair of symmetrical and curved fin privacy walls leading to the toilets from the playground. The south elevation of the main block is a symmetrical with an advanced frame around the central doorway with a geometric brick pattern detailing and a geometric brick and tile abstract motif detail over the entrance. There are a further two abstract motifs between the first floor windows.

The building is loadbearing brick and clad in painted render with smooth painted margins and flat parapet roof capping. The majority of the windows are replacements with some metal windows, likely dating to the date of construction, remaining to ancillary areas.

The interior of the school was seen in 2016. The 1950s interior plan form is evident throughout and it retains the majority of the interior detailing from the time it was built. The main classroom block has three staircases, each giving access to two classrooms on the upper floor and all of these six classrooms are linked by interconnecting doors. The entrance hall has decorative polychrome terrazzo flooring with metal lining and a pair of doors with a horizontal glazing pattern at the rear. The main hall has windows on one side and paired timber steps with large octagonal plan newel posts up to the stage. The classroom doors have small rectangular viewing windows.