Old Medical School, 56 Small's Wynd, Dundee

The Old Medical School, dated 1902, was designed by John Murray Robertson and James Findlay as a 4-storey and attic building with a rectangular plan and 13 bays. It is constructed of stugged pinkish sandstone with snecked stone to the rear, and ashlar dressings. The steeply pitched double pile piended roof is covered with original green slates to the west (replaced with grey slates to the east following a fire in 1970). The building features a base course, moulded cill courses to each floor, and a moulded eaves course. Elaborate detailing includes ogival-capped and finialled angle towers that corbel from the first floor, segmental-pedimented Dutch gables to the centre of the north and south elevations (with an oculus on the south gable and paired round-headed windows on the north), and smaller pedimented gables to the west elevation. A large, round, ogival-capped and finialled cupola with continuous glazing sits atop the building. The ground, first and second floors have cross windows with 4-pane over 1 sash and case glazing. The third floor features bipartites with 8-pane sash and case glazing, while cast-iron rainwater goods are present.

The south elevation, considered the front, has three central bays that project, forming a stepped doorpiece with a corniced, two-leaf panelled door and sidelight, approached by steps. Above the door is a four-light depressed arch window with chamfered reveals and a corbelled parapet. A canted bay rises to the wallhead, incorporating two four-light stair windows flanked by a single window on the first, second, and third floors. A gable sits above the bay. Four bays are recessed to the left and right, each with four windows on all floors. The angle towers on the second and third floors each contain two windows. Three original rooflights are to the left, and five modern rooflights are to the right.

The north (rear) elevation is symmetrical, with eleven windows on all floors and a gable above. Angle towers on the second and third floors contain two windows each. The east elevation is three bays wide, with windows on all floors, and includes a fire escape at centre; the gable has been removed. On the west elevation (facing Small’s Wynd), the three bays contain a bipartite window to the centre, flanked by tripartite windows on all floors, topped by a gable.

The interior is largely original, featuring a central well stair with corkscrew wrought-iron balusters, and extensive boarded dado and lining with alternately plain and ribbed boards. Two lecture theatres retain their original timber pews. A largely intact original ventilation system serves the lecture theatres, laboratories, and fume cupboards, with a fan located in the cupola and one original duct grille remaining in the ground floor lecture theatre. A low coped boundary wall runs along the Small's Wynd elevation, punctuated by three pyramidal-capped gatepiers and modern metal railings.