Bearsden Primary School (former New Kilpatrick Higher Grade Public School), Roman Road, Bearsden

Bearsden Primary School was built in 1910-11 as a Higher Grade public school for the New Kilpatrick School Board. It was designed by the architects James M. Monro & Sons in a neo-Baroque and Beaux-Arts style. The school is located at Bearsden Cross, at the corner of Roman Road and Drymen Road, positioned towards the centre of its site.

The building is rectangular in plan and faced with cream polished sandstone ashlar. The principal (west) elevation features a projecting central block with a Baroque centrepiece incorporating a round-arch pediment, advanced pilasters, scrolled cornice, and cartouche and keystone details. Canted entrances are positioned within the return angles to either side, marking the former boys and girls entrances. Both entrances have round-arch surrounds, fanlights and keystone windows above. The flanking bays contain oriel windows with modillion aprons and segmental-arch pediments in the window heads. The north elevation displays a large keystoned round-arched window to the first floor library, flanked by large segmentally-arched workshop and classroom windows.

The windows are square-headed with moulded stone cills, mostly fixed and bipartite, with double-glazed replacement uPVC sash and case windows. The roofs are piended with grey slates and decorative terracotta ridge tiles, ashlar skews and four highly detailed octagonal-plan ventilators with caps and finials. One large decorative ventilator is pierced with round-arch openings and a crown cap, while the other three have timber slats and domed caps to the centre of the plan.

The interior retains a largely intact decorative scheme dating to the early twentieth century. A large top-lit, double-height central hall has moulded columns and a herring-bone parquet floor. At each end are open dog-leg stairs with timber candle-snuffer capped newel posts. The carved timber hammer-beam roof is supported on scrolled corbels. The hall mezzanine features moulded timber handrails and scroll work, with cast iron metalwork banisters decorated with floral, leaf and cartouche motifs. Classroom doorways have carved timberwork surrounds with segmental-arched tops and other decorative elements. Classrooms to the north of the ground floor are entered through a twin door surround with canted-angle doors. Black and white tiles reach dado height in high traffic areas.

The head teacher's room, formerly a boardroom, is complete and well-detailed with a carved timber fireplace set within a moulded recess, decorative plasterwork ceiling and cornice, stained timber panelling to dado height, and coloured and leaded glazing featuring swag motifs. Administrative rooms also retain good early twentieth century decorative schemes with Art Nouveau style fire surrounds and panelled timber doors with brass handles.

A low rubble boundary wall surrounds the perimeter with steel railings. Pairs of dressed sandstone gate piers with decorative capstones are located to the west and north sides. The separate gymnasium and cafeteria annexe at the southeast corner of the school site is a plain two-storey rendered building that was extended after 1911 and is excluded from the listing.