Old Bothwell Primary School, Hamilton Road, Bothwell

Old Bothwell Primary School, Hamilton Road, Bothwell

This is a single-storey Gothic primary school dated 1887, located on Hamilton Road in Bothwell. It is a near-symmetrical 10-bay building constructed from stugged and snecked red sandstone with polished ashlar dressings. The building is dominated by gabled ends with pointed-arched windows throughout. Key features include a base course, continuous pointed-arched hood-mould with carved terminals over the three-light trefoil windows at the centre, hood-moulds with carved terminals over the plate traceried outer windows, an eaves course, and a stepped string course to the gableheads. The windows have moulded surrounds with chamfered mullions, and the building is finished with long and short quoins.

The principal (north) elevation is ten bays, grouped as six bays to the right and four bays to the left and set back. The six-bay group features three-light windows in various bays, with the outer bays having advanced positions and plate tracery. Small tripartite and quatrefoil slit openings appear to the gableheads, with trefoil details and finials to the gable apexes. The four-bay block to the left contains a segmental arched doorpiece with steps, a replacement door, and fanlight in the extreme right bay, with a carved stone plaque reading 'BOYS' above the arch and a gablet above. The remaining three bays to the left contain irregularly disposed windows.

The west elevation is irregular with seven bays, grouped as three bays to the centre, three bays to the left, and one bay to the right. The centre block is set back and features a segmental arched doorpiece with a blocked door and fanlight in the left bay, with a carved scroll plaque reading 'GIRLS' over the lintel and lattice detail to the gablet above. The left block has a three-light plate traceried window with a pedimented plaque reading 'ERECTED 1887' above, a quatrefoil opening to the gablehead, and lattice detail with gablet finial to the gable apex. The flanking bays feature shouldered tall windows. The right bay shows a three-light plate traceried window with a small tripartite slit opening to the gablehead above.

The south (rear) elevation is irregular with eleven bays, grouped as two-two-two-two-three. A long two-bay lean-to block is positioned to the left of centre, incorporating a square-plan lean-to porch with a blocked window in the left return and a blocked door in the right return. This is flanked by windows to the left and right bays. An advanced two-bay block to the outer left features tall bipartite windows. A gabled block, slightly advanced to the right, has windows in each bay, as do the two-bay and three-bay blocks to the right.

The building has a predominantly two-pane timber sash and case windows, all now blocked. The roof is finished with grey slate with decorative red clay ridge and louvered ventilation gablets. The front central gables have blocked ashlar skews with steps. An ashlar coped stack stands to the south-west, and cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

Associated with the school is a single-storey rectangular-plan dining hall set to the east, dating from the same period. Constructed from stugged pink sandstone, it is a five-bay near-symmetrical building with a base course, eaves course, chamfered surrounds to windows, and long and short quoins.

The dining hall's north (entrance) elevation features a square-plan pitch-roofed entrance porch in the centre bay, with a window and narrow slit motif to the gablehead above. A replacement door with fanlight is set to the right return, and a tall wallhead stack stands close to the re-entrant angle to the left. Windows flank the porch on each side. The south (rear) elevation has seven bays with a window in each bay. The west (side) elevation is gabled with a window offset to the left and a double slit opening to the gablehead above.

The dining hall retains two-over four-pane timber sash and case windows, with those to the rear blocked. The roof is finished with grey slate with decorative red clay ridge and louvered ventilation gablets, slate to the porch, ashlar skews, and an ashlar coped stack to the north elevation. Cast-iron rainwater goods are in place.

The boundary walls and gatepiers feature chamfered square-plan piers with carved gothic motifs to each face and faceted gothic caps with trefoil motifs and faceted bases. The walls are constructed from stugged ashlar sandstone with ridged ashlar cope and irregularly disposed shouldered piers along their length. Painted cast-iron railings and replacement gates complete the boundary treatment.