Donaldson's School For The Deaf, West Coates, Edinburgh

Donaldson's School for the Deaf, West Coates, Edinburgh

Designed by William Henry Playfair between 1842 and 1852, with interior decoration by David Ramsay Hay, this is a substantial quadrangular Elizabethan-style orphan hospital complex. The building comprises two-storey ranges between four-storey square-plan corner towers with angle turrets, an additional central tower to the front elevation, octagonal turrets to the centre of the courtyard elevations, and a chapel projecting from the centre of the rear elevation. Balustrades and flights of steps lead to terraces at the south, east and west elevations. A pair of lodges stand at West Coates, accompanied by boundary walls, piers, railings, gate piers and gates to the street.

The building is constructed of coursed, polished sandstone ashlar (Binny stone from Bathgate) with polished dressings. Details include a base course, corniced string courses between each floor, a band of rosettes beneath the heavily projecting cornice, buckle quoins to all exterior angle turrets, and window jambs chamfered throughout. Windows are small-pane timber sash and case glazing throughout. The roof is grey slate with tall octagonal chimney cans with bevelled faces, heavily moulded at the top. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted to the rear elevation and courtyard ranges.

South (Front) Elevation

The symmetrical eighteen-bay front elevation comprises two-storey, five-bay blocks between end towers. The end towers are made up of a pair of four-storey turrets flanking a three-storey canted bay. The central tower features five-storey octagonal turrets flanking a four-storey entrance bay. The southwest and southeast towers are square in plan, each comprising four ogee-domed angle turrets with advanced canted bays between (to the two exterior faces), surmounted by castellated parapets and polygonal flues. The central tower has four domed, lanterned octagonal turrets, with a moulded Tudor-arched entrance and three-storey oriel window between the two front towers. The five-bay blocks between the towers consist of a pair of five-bay, two-storey buttressed and castellated ranges linking the southwest and southeast end towers with the central tower.

West (Side) Elevation

This symmetrical nineteen-bay elevation comprises end towers (articulated as the south faces of the southwest and southeast towers) with a two-storey, thirteen-bay block between (articulated as the five-bay blocks to the south elevation). An entrance is located at ground level, fourth bay from the south end, featuring a Tudor-arched opening in a rectilinear surround with corbelled hoodmould, a two-leaf coffered timber door with coffered band above, and a multi-pane fanlight with vertical astragals.

East (Side) Elevation

The east elevation is similar to the west elevation with minor differences: an additional basement floor to the northeast tower, and a single-bay, square-plan walled terrace area with panelled and corniced die and pedestalled pyramidal finial, all supported on a pair of large curvilinear brackets to the left-hand bay of the northeast tower at ground level. Service rooms at basement level lie beneath a flight of steps and terrace leading east from the most northern bay of the thirteen-bay block. Segmental-arched bipartite windows are fitted to each north-facing bay of the service rooms. A boarded timber door is located in the penultimate bay from the west end, with deeply chamfered jambs and corbelled hoodmoulds.

North (Rear) Elevation

The symmetrical twenty-three-bay rear elevation comprises a two-storey and basement seventeen-bay range between a pair of end towers (as to the other elevations but with an additional basement storey), made up of a pair of four-storey turrets flanking a three-storey canted bay. A nine-bay chapel with corner turrets projects from the central three bays.

Chapel

The chapel is a symmetrical, buttressed, rectangular-plan building, nine bays by three bays, with moulded castellated parapets and three-storey ogee-domed octagonal end turrets. It has a base course, corniced string course to each floor of the turrets, and a corniced frieze containing carved stones with various emblems (stylised 'D', rosette, fleur-de-lys, star) to the chapel sides. Windows have corbelled hoodmoulds.

The east and west elevations feature stepped buttresses separating each bay, topped by carved faces at cornice level and, above, by swept triangular pediments, in turn surmounted by thistle, rose, star, fleur-de-lys and half-moon motifs emerging from carved foliage. Each bay has a large, four-centred, mullioned and transomed window with shields bearing carved motifs above. Small, narrow lights are fitted to alternate faces of the octagonal turrets at each floor. A band of rosettes runs beneath the heavily projecting cornice at the springing of the leaded ogee dome with ball and spike finial to each turret.

The north end has three bays. A pair of windows as at the side elevations flank an advanced canted bay to the centre, rising to cornice level. Tall, narrow, rectangular-framed windows have a column of three leaded lights to each side face and two columns of three leaded lights to the central face. Recessed carved panels above the moulded cornice feature elaborate strapwork carving and corniced ball finials above. Bold relief carving decorates the central section of the parapet.

Inner Courtyard

The predominantly two-storey square-plan courtyard has square-plan corner towers and four-storey, domed, octagonal turrets to the centre of each elevation (except the south elevation, which has a double turret arrangement). A fountain stands at the centre of the courtyard, with a three-tier coffered base to a pedestal supporting a square-plan block, chamfered and carved with motifs at the angles. A stylised 'D' appears on each face of the block. Above is a panelled octagonal drum with recessed, intricately carved panels, and an octagonal plinth to the drum.

Interior

Corridors and classrooms are largely plain with boarded dado panelling. The entrance hall contains paintings associated with the school and hardwood chairs carved with the stylised 'D' which features throughout the building (for example, to the frieze of the front elevation). The chapel has oak-grained dado panelling (probably early 20th century re-graining in a lighter colour than the original), an oak-grained coffered plaster ceiling, and imitation jointed ashlar walls.

East Lodge

Designed by William Henry Playfair between 1842 and 1852, the east lodge is single storey and attic, symmetrical, L-plan, three-bay, and gabled. It is built of coursed, stugged sandstone ashlar with polished dressings. Details include chamfered jambs, corbelled hoodmoulds, skews and skewputts, a moulded stone ridge to the roof, and pyramidal finials to the gables.

The west (front) elevation has an advanced, gabled porch to the centre at ground level. Moulded rectilinear margins frame a Tudor-arched opening with a deep-set door. A carved panel is fitted to the gable above, with moulded skews and skewputts with ball and pyramid finial. Tripartite windows flank the central bay. A pair of four-light, flat-roofed dormers are set into the roof.

The side elevations have a centred tripartite window at ground level, with a narrow slit light to the gable. A flat-roofed single storey addition is located at the rear to the north.

Windows are timber-framed multi-paned glazing. The roof is grey slate with a pair of coped, shouldered stacks to the rear with moulded octagonal cans.

West Lodge

The west lodge is a mirror image of the east lodge.

Gatepiers and Gates

A pair of monumental, panelled, square-plan, corniced gatepiers with mounted, pedestalled pyramidal finials stand at the entrance. Each pier is fashioned from three polished sandstone blocks, mounted on chamfered pedestals, with a cornice, frieze, and boldly projecting cornice. A pair of tall cast-iron gates are fitted beneath an iron bar topped by strapwork ironwork ornamentation (incorporating fleur-de-lys). A matching single gatepier to the main road at the western boundary stands to the west of the west lodge.

Railings, Piers and Boundary Walls

A low sandstone boundary wall and spiked railings run along West Coates with, at regular intervals, piers similar in style to the above but on a smaller scale, with the following differences: the main body of the pier is cut from a single block, unpanelled, with stop-chamfered angles and a single cornice with no frieze. One of these piers is engaged with one side of the large piers described above.

A high stugged ashlar wall with rounded cope encloses the grounds to the Water of Leith. Four tall narrow pavilions (two to the east and two to the west) are incorporated in the wall. These have slightly battered ashlar walls, chamfered arrowslit openings, moulded cornice and eaves cornice, and stone ogee roofs with thistle finials.

Steps and Balustrades to Terraces

Wide, centred, single flights of sandstone ashlar steps lead to the terrace at the south front and to the west and east sides. An additional, identical set of steps is located at the north end of the terrace on the west side. Panelled, corniced dies are positioned at the foot and head of the steps and at regular intervals (unpanelled) along the whole length of the terrace. The balustrade has carved strapwork balusters supported on a coursed ashlar wall with base course and advanced piers. Pedestalled ball finials (some missing) carved with diamond patterns and topped by bulb-shaped objects are fitted to each die.