Sciennes Primary School, Edinburgh

Sciennes Primary School, Edinburgh

Robert Wilson designed this 2-storey school with basement and attic in 1889 for Edinburgh School Board. It is built to a symmetrical H-plan in the Neo-Jacobean style. The principal south elevation uses polished ashlar with bands of squared and snecked sandstone; elsewhere squared and snecked sandstone with polished dressings appears. Base, cill and eaves courses are detailed throughout. Dividing and eaves cornices feature dentilled details to the south elevation and to the advanced central bays on the north side. Mullioned and transomed basket-headed windows with chamfered reveals light the building. Pilasters divide each bay and run through all floors, capped with small ball-finials above the eaves on the south elevation. A timber-framed bellcote crowns the roof.

The south elevation (Sciennes Road) displays 9 bays to the main central block, flanked by lower 2-storey single-bay entrance blocks and single-storey flat-roofed extensions. The entrance blocks have tripartite windows at ground and first floors; first-floor windows break the eaves in stone-finialled pedimented gables. Three central bays are advanced and gabled, the middle bay containing tripartite windows with a blinded oculus between floors. An aproned tripartite window is set in the gablehead with a blinded oculus above. Flanking bays have single windows, with bipartite windows to the returns. Tripartite windows appear in the 2nd and 8th bays at attic level, breaking the eaves in finialled pediments with square blank tablets inset. Flanking bays contain single windows.

The north elevation (Millerfield Place) is a symmetrical composition of 11 bays across 2 principal storeys, basement and attic. Three central bays are advanced and gabled with angle pilasters; the central bay contains tripartite windows. A tripartite window is set in the gablehead with a louvred slit above. Flanking bays have single windows, with bipartite windows to the returns. Slightly advanced bays with tripartite windows stand to the outer left and right, surmounted by parapets and pediments with louvred slits above. Bipartite windows appear in the 3rd and 9th bays. Remaining bays have single windows. The basement is lit by single round-arched windows, paired in the 3rd, 6th and 9th bays, with single windows to the returns of the advanced bays.

The west elevation features an advanced M-gabled 2-storey entrance block with single windows to the outer right, and two single windows in the gablehead of the main block behind. An advanced 2-storey and basement wing with a piend roof adjoins to the outer left, lit by two pairs of round-arched windows at basement level and bipartite windows above. The main block has bipartite windows in remaining bays, including mezzanine and attic levels, with two single round-arched windows at basement. The east elevation mirrors the west elevation.

The interior was not seen at the time of survey in 1990.

Small-pane sash and case windows are detached from the transoms. Grey-green slate pitched roofs with red ridge tiles and finials crown the building. A birdcage bellcote (bell missing) has a pilastered and keystoned round-arched painted timber frame, pyramidal roof and weathervane finial. Gableheads have corbelled and deeply corniced stacks. Moulded eaves guttering completes the detailing.

Two single-storey piend-roofed playshelters abut boundary walls to the west and east, each supported on open sides by 7 cast-iron columns.

Four panelled ashlar gatepiers with cornices and coping mark Sciennes Road. Saddleback coping with replacement railings runs along Sciennes Road. High rubble boundary walls enclose the site to west and east. A low coped rubble wall with original spearhead railings fronts the north entrance from Millerfield Place, though the gates and gatepiers here have been replaced.