Old School House, The Brae, North Queensferry

This is an 1827, two-story, three-bay former school house situated on The Brae in North Queensferry. It was constructed to replace a smaller school located at Melinkie Cottage, which had been in use since 1769, as that building proved inadequate for the village’s growing population. The building was financed through public subscription and originally served as both a school and the schoolmaster’s residence.

The principal, south-facing elevation is of coursed hammer-dressed sandstone ashlar, with a rendered finish to the west and painted rubble to the north. It features an advanced, pilastered doorpiece with an original bronze school bell mounted above, bearing the inscription “BUILT BY SUBSCRIPTION / A D 1827” on the lintel. A window sits to the left of the doorpiece, while a later single-story timber and glazed conservatory extends to the right. Three square windows are positioned close to the eaves, centered above the ground-floor openings.

The east elevation was not inspected in 2002. The rear, north-facing elevation features a large, two-story, piended stair tower with a central stair light. A door with a fanlight and a small square window are set into the right return of the tower, with a timber-glazed lean-to porch positioned to the right, encapsulating a bipartite window. A corresponding bipartite window is located to the left of the stair tower. A modern, single-story garage extends to the far right. The west elevation is characterized by a pitched, single-story garage extension.

The building is largely fitted with four-pane timber sash and case windows, with horns. Bipartite windows to the rear ground floor have eight panes, although the lower glazing bars are now missing from the left-hand window. A margin-paned timber stair window is also present. The roof is pitched, covered in grey slates, and features raised flat-headed stone skews, coped hammer-dressed sandstone gablehead stacks to the east, and circular clay cans.

The interior was not inspected in 2002.

Following its use as a combined school and schoolhouse, the building was occupied as the schoolmaster's residence from 1875 after the children were relocated to a new building. The west gable was subsequently altered to a plain elevation upon the demolition of the 1876 school. Originally, the building marked the last structure in the village along Ferryhills Road.