Callander Primary School, Bridgend, Callander

Callander Primary School, built in 1906-1907 and enlarged in 1924, is a two-storey and attic, seven-bay school building constructed by Stewart & Paterson. The original school was two bays deep, and was subsequently expanded with single-storey wings and an entrance colonnade, also by Stewart & Paterson. It originally served as the local High School before becoming a primary school and was refurbished in 1992, which involved gutting and reorganising the interior and adding a large single-storey block to the rear (east) side. The building is listed for its restrained Baroque design, attributed to a reputable architect’s office with a significant local presence.

The entrance features a grand, slightly advanced pedimented bay with a row of four Doric Roman columns arranged in a concave formation to the ground floor. Flanking the colonnade are a pair of single-storey wings. On both side elevations are slightly advanced three-bay sections on both the ground and first floors. The northern section on the first floor features pilasters and block channelling, topped by a segmentally headed gable. The southern section has a pair of brackets supporting a cornice with two small, stylized obelisks and a date stone; the date on the stone is currently unreadable, but the inscription 'Baillie Hamilton Memorial Wing' appears below.

The rear (east) elevation displays a central canted stair tower, adjacent to a tall, square-plan stack that tapers towards the top and rises above the eaves. Several dormer windows are set into the rear roof.

The principal elevation is constructed from snecked rubble “pudding stone,” while other elevations utilize random rubble with smeared pointing. Sandstone dressings and quoins are used throughout. The principal elevation’s ground and first-floor windows have raised architraves and lugged detailing to the first floor. A moulded cornice runs along the entire advanced ground floor, and a continuous cill course runs along the first floor of the principal elevation. The main door is timber-panelled, and modern multi-paned timber windows are present throughout. A moulded eaves course tops the building, which has grey slated piended roofs.