Gate-Piers And Boundary Wall, Mclean School, Baldridgeburn, Dunfermline

McLean School, Baldridgeburn, Dunfermline

This school was designed by Andrew Scobie and built in 1895–96, with a northern extension also by Scobie added in 1913–14. The building has subsequently undergone alterations and additions. It is a single-storey structure with a rectangular plan and internal courtyard.

The original block is Jacobethan in style, featuring mullioned and transomed windows and heavily ornamented and pilastered gables, including Dutch gables. The early 20th century L-shaped extension is of plainer design with deep overhanging eaves and hipped breaking eaves dormers. The original block is constructed in coursed stugged snecked sandstone with droved ashlar dressings. The extension is built in harled brick with droved sandstone ashlar dressings. A rockfaced base course and eaves cornice surmounted by a low parapet feature on the original block (except on the courtyard elevation). Windows have chamfered reveals, and gables are coped.

Principal (South) Elevation: The south elevation is symmetrically arranged. A Dutch gable crowns a 3-bay centrepiece with a central 4-light mullioned and transomed breaking eaves window flanked by windows, all divided and framed by strip pilasters. A square panel within the gable, flanked by continuation pilasters, is carved with scrolls and foliage and inscribed 'McLEAN SCHOOL - 1896', with ball finials flanking the pediment above. Pairs of 2-light mullioned windows with flanking strip pilasters flank either side. Four-bay gabled projecting sections at each end contain central pairs of 6-light mullioned and transomed breaking eaves windows with flanking windows, all divided and framed by strip pilasters. The central pilaster continues to a ball finial at the shaped apex of the gable, with flanking ball finials above the cornice dividing the upper half of the gable. All windows in the central 15-bay section have moulded surrounds. Slightly lower height corner sections set back to either side each feature a slightly projecting outer bay with a 2-light mullioned window and a window to a slightly recessed inner bay.

East Elevation: The original block to the left features a central entrance within a slightly projecting breaking-eaves entrancepiece with pilastered quoins and Dutch gable. The central entrance has a moulded lugged architrave and rusticated flanking pilasters, with a replacement part-glazed door and rectangular fanlight. Narrow flanking windows with moulded surrounds are set back slightly. A corniced frieze above the eaves supports a parapet at the base of the Dutch gable. A central panel to the lower section is inscribed in relief 'BOYS'. Flanking pilasters support a corniced frieze at the base of a moulded semicircular pediment with ball finial. A 2-light mullioned window set back slightly appears on either side, with an additional small narrow window to the right. An early 20th century addition adjoins to the right, linked to the older part by a single low bay with a 2-light mullioned window. A taller 5-bay section adjoins to the right, featuring large 6-light breaking eaves mullioned and transomed windows with hipped roofs to the centre and outer flanking bays, with alternate 3-light mullioned windows in between. All have stone mullions, transoms, and jambs linked by a cill course. A 5-bay section set back to the outer right comprises a gabled bay with a 2-light mullioned window to the left and flanking openings (that to the right converted to a door), an external stack to the right, a 2-light mullioned window, and a small narrow window to the outer right.

West Elevation: The original block to the right contains a central entrance within a slightly projecting breaking-eaves entrancepiece with pilastered quoins and Dutch gable. The central entrance has a moulded lugged architrave and rusticated flanking pilasters, with a replacement timber door and rectangular fanlight. Narrow flanking windows with moulded surrounds are set back slightly. A corniced frieze above the eaves supports a parapet at the base of the Dutch gable. A central panel to the lower section is inscribed in relief 'GIRLS'. Flanking pilasters support a corniced frieze at the base of a moulded semicircular pediment with ball finial. A 2-light mullioned window set back slightly appears on either side. An early 20th century addition occupies the outer left, with a gabled bay featuring a 2-light mullioned window to the right and flanking windows connected by a cill course, followed by an angled bay to the right and 2 bays to the left with a 3-light lunette window to the outer left. A late 20th century infill section features a central 6-bay canted section and large entrance with canted lintel at the centre of the elevation.

North Elevation: This comprises 13 bays. The ground floor projects as a lean-to with 5 regularly spaced entrances with part-glazed timber doors divided and flanked by paired windows with connecting cill bands. A 3-light lunette window appears in each flanking outer bay. Six irregularly grouped breaking-eaves 2-light mullioned dormers are set back above the lean-to.

Internal Courtyard: The original block features 3-bay gabled sections to the centre and outer edges of the south side, with 3-bay sections in between. Each contains an entrance with a part-glazed replacement door and rectangular fanlight to the inner bay. An early 20th century extension to the north and east includes a lean-to passageway to the east with outer flanking entrances with replacement part-glazed doors and mullioned dormers set back above. The central section to the south side is highly fenestrated with a connecting cill band and includes 3 entrances with part-glazed doors and rectangular fanlights. Flanking 2-bay gabled sections have 4 outer bays on each side. A wraparound early 20th century section with a gablet and lean-to passageway occupies the right of the west side, with late 20th century infill sections to the left.

Roofing and Fittings: Horned timber sash and case windows with 2 and 4-pane lower sections and 4 and 6-pane upper sections feature in the original block and most of the early 20th century extension; timber casements appear in the hall to the east, with pivot-opening and fixed timber frames to the north elevation. Grey slate roofs are topped with leaded finials to hipped sections of the original block. Corniced ridge stacks flank the main entrances to the east and west elevations (one to the west side partly removed), with a corniced ridge stack and frieze to the east side of the original block. A tall harled external stack with replacement coping and a pair of corniced ridge stacks with friezes stand to the east side of the early 20th century extension, and a coped ridge stack stands to the west side. Most cans are missing. The building retains a substantial amount of early cast-iron rainwater goods, including decorative hoppers with heart motif to the early 20th century extension.

Gatepiers and Boundary Wall to the South: A low coursed stugged sandstone wall with moulded ashlar coping is surmounted by cast-iron railings incorporating a scroll pattern, stepped down in stages along the road. A corniced pier with ball coping defines the angle at the junction with the boundary wall to the east. Two pairs of square-plan gatepiers in line with the main entrances each feature a base course and moulded coping, are pedimented on each side, and are surmounted by a ball finial. Cast-iron gates incorporating a scroll pattern complete the composition.

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey (1999).