The Old School House, Cowpits Road, Inveresk

The Old School House, dating to circa 1880, is a former school and schoolhouse exhibiting an unusual and powerful Victorian Gothic design. It is now entirely residential, with modern additions. The building is constructed of stugged, squared, and snecked sandstone with ashlar dressings and a base course, featuring chamfered arrises to the window openings.

The plan consists of three interconnected, gabled blocks. The westernmost single-storey and attic block originally housed the schoolmaster's house, while the taller single-storey blocks at the centre and east contained the schoolrooms. Stone mullions are characteristic of the windows.

The central block features an entrance bay recessed on the north elevation, linking the taller classroom block behind and the flanking blocks. The entrance is within a gabled bay with a stepped hoodmould, a panelled door, a narrow letterbox fanlight, and narrow flanking windows. The south elevation projects with a prominent gabled bay containing a tall, transomed, four-light window with a pointed arch panel above the centre lights. Originally, this bay was flanked by slightly recessed lean-to stone porches (one of which remains to the east; a modern sunroom has been inserted to the west), with doorways on the return sides.

The former schoolmaster’s house is a single-storey and attic structure with hoodmoulded windows at ground level. A bipartite window sits above. A modern sunroom obscures the rear elevation. The west elevation has three bays, with a regrettable modern block projecting in the centre, single windows in the flanking bays, and gabled dormers above. Moulded stacks with cornices are located at the wallhead by the entrance bay and the south gable wallhead.

The east block is a tall block with a tall, Y-traceried, hoodmoulded pointed window on the gabled north elevation, featuring a trefoil ventilation panel at the apex. The rear elevation is interrupted by the central block, and originally featured a window of similar design to that on the north; it is currently divided by the insertion of an internal floor and has a modern window below. Two tall panels are present on the east elevation, each blinded with a window – a lower right panel has a window, while the upper left panel does. A stack, similarly detailed to those elsewhere, sits on the mutual wallhead.

The windows exhibit a variety of glazing patterns, with large square panes to the south schoolroom window, and tracery above in the pointed arch windows. Plate glass sash and case windows, and modern glazing are seen in the remaining windows. Ornamentation includes patera details in the gableheads of the main doorway and dormers. The building features ashlar coped skews and decorative skewputts, and is roofed with grey slates.

A rubble retaining wall, with sections of ashlar and semi-circular coping is also present.