Examination Block, George Heriot's School, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh

The Examination Block at George Heriot's School in Edinburgh was designed by Donald A Gow in 1894. This building features a double-height T-plan in the Scots Renaissance and Jacobean styles, constructed from coursed yellow sandstone ashlar. It includes a central entrance and stair tower that is square in shape, topped with an octagonal belfry featuring an ogee roof. The roof of the hall is a pitched structure made of glazed metal. The building is adorned with a battlemented parapet that has loopholes and bartizans, along with a base course, a dividing band between the ground and first floors of the entrance block, a cill band at the first floor, and buckle quoins. The windows are aedicular with strapwork pediments.

On the principal elevation, the entrance is located in the slightly advanced central tower, which is flanked by Doric columns on high pedestals. Above the entrance is a broken pediment that contains a crest, with a two-leaf timber panelled storm door (with glazed inner doors) and a plate glass fanlight set in a round-arched opening with an enriched key console. A single window is found at the first floor, with a monogram and the date (1894) displayed above it. The belfry features arcaded, louvred openings with enriched key consoles. The two-bay flanking sections are regularly fenestrated, with recessed outer bays that have double-height windows.

The northeast elevation has a slightly advanced centre bay with a double-height tripartite window, while the flanking bays contain double-height bipartite windows. There are single windows at the ground and first floors, along with an aediculed door to the right of the northeast return to the entrance block. The outer right bay is recessed and features a door with pilaster strips and a segmental pediment at the ground level, with a single window above.

On the southeast elevation, there is a double-height tripartite window in the slightly advanced centre bay and double-height bipartite windows in the flanking bays. The southeast return to the entrance block on the outer right has single windows at the ground and first floors, with an aediculed door to the left.

Inside, the building features a hammer-beamed roof over the double-height hall, which is now horizontally divided. A central gallery is located at the west end, with a platform opposite. The projecting entrance block has small-pane glazing in sash and case windows, while the hall has border glazing in stone-mullioned and -transomed windows. The roofs of the bartizans and belfry are covered with grey slates and lead. Decorative hoppers are attached to cast-iron down pipes.