Theatre Arts Centre, 6 Davie Street, Edinburgh

Theatre Arts Centre, 6 Davie Street, Edinburgh

A 2-storey former school building designed by John Chesser in 1875, with an addition made in 1887. The building is composed of nine bays arranged in five projecting sections, each stepping further forward from left to right. It follows a basic L-plan when viewed from the front and a T-plan from the rear.

The architecture is Scots Neo-Jacobean in style. The most distinctive feature is the central three bays, which rise prominently with crocketted crowsteps to the gable and tourelles. The stone is carved with the school's name and the architect's name at the centre of the gablehead. All windows feature pediments decorated with strapwork and star and rose motifs. The apex of the scrolled pediment displays carved putti depicting industry. To the right, in the re-entrant angle, a single-storey projection contains the 'Juvenile' entrance, while the recessed 'Infants' entrance sits to the left. Both doorways are framed by Doric pilasters with carved putti heads on the entablature supporting a broken pediment. At the centre of each pediment sits a cartouche composed of a mask, scrolls, a shield with hammer carving, and a crown. The doorways are arched with the entwined initials GH (for George Heriot) carved on the keystone.

The base course features buckle quoins at the corners. A string course runs at first-floor level. Windows throughout are crowned with pediments decorated with strapwork, and the star and rose motif recurs frequently across the façade. A stepped and shaped parapet rises above the left-hand range, featuring a Dutch gable that carries a date stone. A cupola with weathervane sits at the centre of the roof.

The south-west elevation displays nine bays in five distinct sections. The leftmost two bays contain single windows at ground level with broken segmental and triangular pediments respectively, both decorated with strapwork. Two single windows sit above. The parapet is decorative with a Dutch gable facing twin stacks. The next projecting single bay originally held the Infants' entrance (now altered to a window), with a single window above. The three-bay central section contains bipartite windows at ground and first floors with single flanking windows. Each is surmounted with decorative carving; those at ground level feature broken pediments. The single-storey projection in the re-entrant angle has the 'Juvenile' entrance at ground level, a single window above, and a shaped parapet. Its left return has a single ground-floor window. The two-bay gable end shows regular fenestration with ground-floor windows featuring pediments and strapwork, and first-floor windows with lintels surmounted by blind shields and strapwork. A finial crowns the apex of the gable. A lantern sits at the centre of the roof ridge.

The north-west elevation features bipartite windows in the right bay at both ground and first-floor levels. An arched louvered ventilator pierces the gablehead, and paired stacks stand at the gable.

The north-east (rear) elevation shows a central three-bay projection with regular fenestration and an arched louvered ventilator in the gablehead. The left return has regular fenestration. A one-storey two-bay extension to the right return has windows on each face. The three-bay range to the left contains a single window in the left bay at ground level, a one-storey two-bay extension to the right with windows to each face, and single windows in the left and centre bays at first floor, with the third bay blind. A later two-storey two-bay square extension adjoins the right of the central range with regular fenestration throughout.

The south-east elevation contains bipartite windows in the right bay at ground and first-floor levels with restored margins and transoms. Bipartite windows also appear in the right bay of the gable-end. An arched louvered ventilator pierces the gablehead, and twin stacks rise at the gable head.

Windows are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows, with some 8-pane and 9-pane glazing. Modern glazing appears in some locations, and protective grilles are fitted to ground-floor windows on the rear elevation. The roof is slate with a crocketted crowstepped gable at the centre of the main elevation, straight skews to the right gable, and straight skews with cylindrical mouldings to the side gables. Straight skews feature on the rear gable. Polygonal ridge, gablehead and wallhead paired stacks are present.

The interior is functional with minimal decorative treatment. All rooms have dado timber lining boards to waist height, plain walls and cornices, and exposed pipework. The gymnasium has a vaulted ceiling. Both front and rear stairs are plain.

The boundary walls, gates and gatepiers include low coping stones with replacement railings to Davie Street. Squared and snecked rubble with coping forms the rear boundary, which is relatively low but rises to greater height on the left side. Original cast-iron carriage and pedestrian gates with matching gatepiers stand at Davie Street.