Burgh Primary School, King Street

Burgh Primary School, King Street

A 3-storey and attic board school designed by William Ferguson and built in 1900-1901. The building adopts a cruciform plan with symmetrical Free-Renaissance styling and presents principal elevations to both King Street to the south and High Street to the north.

The High Street elevation extends 6 bays, with an advanced central section of 4 bays. The Girls' and Boys' entrances are located on the returns of this advanced section. The outer bays of the advanced section are topped with steep, piended, finialed pavilion roofs, while round-arched staircase windows mark the centre. The King Street elevation comprises 5 bays with gables. Scrolled pediments crown the top floor windows, and a flat-roofed modern addition occupies the centre at ground level.

The building is constructed in squared, snecked, bull-faced red sandstone with polished sandstone ashlar dressings. Moulded cornices emphasise the more prominent windows to north and south elevations. An intermittent eaves course runs around the building, with bracketed eaves to parts of the north, east and west elevations. Long and short quoins and stone margins frame the windows. The fenestration is regular and symmetrical, predominantly featuring mullioned bipartite, tripartite and paired windows.

On the King Street elevation, the central 3-bay section contains bipartite windows at centre with a pediment above the central 1st floor window. A small central gable with an oculus window and carved stonework projects at attic level, flanked by a ball-finialed parapet. The gabled outer bays contain 4-light windows to each floor, with scrolled pediments above the 2nd floor windows and small attic windows to the gable apexes.

The High Street elevation's advanced 4-bay central section features tripartite transomed and mullioned staircase windows to the 2 central bays. The upper floor windows are arched with prominent keystones. An inscription reading "BURGH PUBLIC SCHOOL. SCHOOL BOARD OF RUTHERGLEN" runs between the 1st and 2nd floor windows, with the date 1901 above under a mini pediment. Five storeys of mezzanine windows light the outer bays of the advanced section. The Girls' and Boys' entrances on the left and right returns respectively consist of 6 curved steps leading to timber-boarded doors set in roll-moulded corniced architraves, with bipartite windows above. An advanced chimney stack stands to the left of the Girls' entrance. Tripartite windows light the recessed outer bays.

The east and west side elevations are regularly fenestrated over 4 bays, with the most northerly bay gabled.

Windows throughout are timber sash and case with small-pane glazing to upper sashes and plate glass or 2-pane glazing to lower sashes. Corniced sandstone chimney stacks with red clay cans project from the roof. The roof is covered in graded grey slate. Cast-iron rainwater goods with square hoppers are installed to the east and west elevations.

The interior is exceptionally well-detailed and remains little-altered. A top-lit hall at the building's centre rises through three storeys with galleries to the upper floors, its glazed ceiling supported on decorative timber trusses. The galleries feature cast-iron balusters with occasional wrought-iron panels and timber handrails, set on corniced newel posts. Adjacent Boys' and Girls' staircases at the north end of the hall mirror this detailing, with similar balusters and arched entrances to each floor. Narrow arched entrances provide access to former school offices and cloakrooms at mezzanine level from each flight of stairs. Classrooms are arranged to the south, east and west of the central hall; those on the east and west sides are arranged in pairs and divided by folding glazed timber screens, most now boarded over. All classrooms have half-glazed timber panelled doors with fanlights set in moulded architraves. Moulded dados and cornices trim the hall, galleries and stairs, with tiled dados. Classrooms feature tongue and groove panelling to the dado. Cast-iron radiators provide heating throughout. Circular cast-iron ventilation grilles are fitted to the ceilings of 2nd floor classrooms.

The boundary walls to north and south are constructed of coped sandstone with decorative railings. Matching foot gates occupy the north, while sandstone gatepiers stand at the south.