Linlithgow Academy, Blackness Road, Linlithgow

Linlithgow Academy

J Graham Fairley designed this school in 1900, with later additions made around 1930 to the rear. It is a long, low, symmetrical single-storey building of roughly H-plan form, executed in the Baronial style. The walls are constructed from stugged, snecked, squared and coursed sandstone rubble with smooth ashlar dressings. The building features crow-stepped gables and round towers positioned in re-entrant angles, with bipartite and tripartite mullioned and transomed windows throughout.

The south (entrance) elevation is composed of a taller central block flanked by lower L-plan wings. The centre block spans 5 bays and incorporates a cill course and string course below a coped parapet with corbelled corners. A taller advanced crowstepped gabled bay projects at the centre, containing a tripartite window and a frieze inscribed 'AD ERECTED 1900' above. A roundel carved with 'LPSB LINLITHGOW PARISH SCHOOL BOARD' sits above, surmounted by a lion and shield finial at the apex. Narrow round-headed windows flank this central feature, with bipartite windows to the outer bays.

The left wing and pavilion are flanked by slightly recessed lower wings terminating in advanced pavilions with gabled porches. A 4-stage circular tower stands in the re-entrant angle. The wing itself features a gabled bipartite window breaking the eaves, topped with a thistle finial, and two narrow windows to the far left. The porch has a round-arched entrance with mannered and moulded impost level details and a stepped moulded string course, with ball finials to the apex. A shouldered-arched entrance appears on the right return, with a narrow window at the foot of the tower to the far right. The tower displays stepped string courses at the 1st and 3rd stages, corbelled work at the 2nd stage, four arrowslit windows in the top stage, a conical slate roof, and a ball finial. The pavilion presents an advanced crowstepped gabled elevation with a tripartite window, apron, open pediment, arrowslit above, and ball finial.

The right wing mirrors the left wing, with a rose finial above the bipartite window breaking the eaves.

The west (side) elevation is asymmetrical, presenting a single-storey structure over basement with 4 bays to the right and recessed bays to the left. A door and narrow window serve the basement to the right. A bipartite corniced and gabled window breaks the eaves at ground level to the centre, with a bipartite window to the outer right. A slightly advanced crowstepped gabled bay to the left contains two paired corniced bipartite windows and an oculus to the gablehead. A bipartite window appears on the return to the left. Recessed bays to the left feature a bipartite window to the right and a taller slightly advanced crowstepped gabled bay to the left containing a tripartite window, stepped string course above, and an arrowslit to the gablehead. The left (north) return is gabled, with 3 low doors to the basement, a window at ground level to the left, and an oculus to the gablehead. Rear elevations are blocked by additions.

The east (side) elevation mirrors the west side, extended by a bipartite window to the right and a bipartite window breaking the eaves to the outer right, with a gabled return, a blocked-up door to the left, and 2 stepped windows to the right.

The west rear elevation features a catslide roof to the left and 3 windows to the right.

Modern single-storey gabled additions occupy the rear courtyard, including a 10-bay block extending from the rear of the main block at centre. Mostly multi-pane glazing patterns are employed throughout. The roof is grey slate with a cupola to the centre block, ashlar coped skews, moulded bracketed beak skewputts, corniced and coped sandstone stacks splayed at the base, and 2 modern rooflights to the east wing at the rear.