Main Building And Memorial Hall, Merchiston Castle School, Colinton Road, Edinburgh

Main Building and Memorial Hall, Merchiston Castle School, Colinton Road, Edinburgh

A major educational complex designed by Dick Peddie and Walker Todd (main school buildings) and John Burnet Son and Dick (Memorial Hall), completed in 1928. The scheme comprises a substantial 2-storey, 19-bay porticoed school building with advanced end pavilions, a 6-bay Memorial Hall extending behind at right angles, astylar study wings running parallel to the main building, and kitchen and service rooms to the rear.

The buildings are harled with sandstone ashlar dressings throughout. All structures feature base and eaves courses; the school building additionally has a blocking course and rusticated quoins. Fenestration is regular and consistent. A distinctive octagonal ashlar belfry rises from the school roof, topped with a copper roof, acorn finial and weather-vane, with louvred round-arched openings between paired pilasters.

The main school building is fronted by a slightly advanced Corinthian tetrastyle portico in antis with a carved pediment. Four steps lead to half-glazed timber panelled doors with a border-glazed fanlight set in a roll-moulded architrave with consoled cornice and a garlanded school crest. The advanced end bays feature pilastered architraves in rusticated openings to ground-floor windows; similar windows appear to the 3rd and 6th bays from the portico. The side elevations have 3 bays with similar ground-floor windows to the centre and architraved doorways to one side. The rear elevation shows a high base course and regular fenestration.

The Memorial Hall (east and west elevations) is 2-storey with attic, arranged as a 6-bay symmetrical composition. 2-storey relieving arches spring from imposts with paired windows at ground to the inner arches and 2-leaf, half-glazed timber panelled doors with sidelights to the outer arches. Single windows occupy the 1st-floor. Pedimented dormers break the eaves to the attic with roof shot through between them.

The study wings are 2-storey, 7-bay structures set at right angles to the Memorial Hall. A central 2-leaf glazed door with fanlight is set in a pilastered arched architrave with ashlar voussoirs and a prominent keystone. The fenestration is regular throughout.

The north (rear) elevation comprises a regularly fenestrated 2- and 3-storey service wing that includes the dining hall, kitchen, boiler house and some bedrooms, dominated by a large circular industrial brick stack.

Windows throughout are fitted with small-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows, except the Memorial Hall which features leaded glazing between timber glazing bars. The roof is piended grey slate with stone ridge tiles. Harled stacks have projecting ashlar neck copes and plain brown cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods feature decorative hoppers.

The interior comprises a purpose-built arrangement with the medical centre, reception and administration facilities at the front of the main school building, while the library and common rooms occupy the centre with the Memorial Hall above. Kitchen, dining room, accommodation and boiler house are located to the rear. The main entrance features a large columned hall leading to a double sweep staircase with barley-twist wrought-iron balusters and an MCS monogram to each flight.

The Memorial Hall, which doubles as a chapel, is spanned by a timber braced collar roof and features a timber stage at the north-west end within a roll-moulded arch, topped by a large organ. The hall is lit by carved galleries accessed between massive arched principals on beast-headed hammerbeams, with timber panelling below. Original ironwork hanging lights remain, along with timber seating. Elliptical arched windows to the ground level have deep splays.