Clyde Street School, Clyde Street East, Helensburgh, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute

Description

A N Paterson, 1903. 2-storey school in Scottish revival style incorporating 17th century Renaissance details, dominated by raised bell-cast roofs flanking lower entrance block to centre. Cream stugged, snecked sandstone with ashlar to porches, arcade to rear and dressings. Base and string courses; ashlar mullioned and transomed windows; cornice; gabled bays with ashlar coped skews.

N (Clyde Street/entrance) elevation: advanced block to centre with piended glazed roof, gabled bay behind with Venetian window, 2-storey end blocks flanking with bell-cast roofs, lower entrance porches set in re-entrant angles, single storey engaged octagonal wings flanking. Block to centre with 2 4-light mullioned and transomed windows at ground, top-lit attic storey with carved cartouche boldly inscribed 'SCHOOL BOARD OF THE PARISH OF ROW'. Venetian window to gabled bay behind with round-headed light to centre flanked by bipartite windows, carved panel above centre light with date 1903.

End block to right with small bipartite window at ground, 2 tall narrow windows at 1st floor with 4 transoms to each, raised bell-cast roof on blind leaded arcaded plinth and with bell-cast leaded apex with crocket finials. Porch in re-entrant angle, chamfered angle, cornice, saucer dome, semi-circular pilastered doorways to N and W elevations, each with segmental-headed pediment, keystone and 2-leaf boarded folding door. W return of end block with 2 tall narrow transomed windows at 1st floor; octagonal wing with window to each bay, eaves/ lintel course, finialled polygonal roof. Mirror image to end block, porch and wing to left.

W (side) elevation: 6 slightly advanced bays to right of 2-bay return with wallhead stack in re-entrant angle, M-gabled roof, 3 bays to each gabled bay. Windows to each bay.

S (rear) elevation: advanced and gabled 4-bay to centre, pilastered quoins, 2-bay arcaded loggia to centre, doorways flanking, 4 windows at 1st floor, full-height pilaster to centre surmounted by pilastered niche to gable with decorated pediment. Doorway on return to right. Window at ground and 1st floor to left. Window at ground to right, 3 windows at 1st floor.

E (side) elevation: M-gabled, 3 windows at ground to left gabled bay, window to right at 1st floor. Gabled bay to right with 3 windows at ground and 1st floor, stack breaking skew to left, wallhead stack in re-entrant angle to right. Return of N wing and octagonal wing as W elevation.

Mostly 10-pane (6-pane to lower sashes, 4-pane upper) to sash and case windows. Grey/green slate roof, glazed panels to to hall to centre; corniced, ashlar stacks, original rainwater goods.

Interior: 2-storey Glasgow style galleried hall to centre, arcaded at ground and 1st floor inset with windows and doorways to classrooms, enamel glazed dado, cast-iron balcony at 1st floor to circulation corridor, fine hammerbeam roof, part top-lit.

East lodge: single storey, asymmetrical lodge. Materials as above.

W (entrance) elevation: gabled doorcase breaking eaves to centre, roll-moulded surround to stylised shouldered doorway, 2-leaf panelled doors, fanlight. 5 closely spaced windows to right. Taller gable bay with chamfered angles. 3 closely spaced windows to centre with taller transomed window to centre. Semi-circular headed louvered window to gablehead. Windows to chamfered angles.

Side elevations: gabled side elevations with apex stacks. 2 transomed windows to each elevation with slightly advanced chimney wall with scrolled skews to S elevation.

Mostly 12-pane sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; ashlar coped skews; block skewputts; corniced sandstone stacks.

West lodge (38 Clyde Street East): 2-storey, asymmetrical Scots Baronial lodge. Materials as above. String course; cill course to 1st floor windows.

E (entrance) elevation: canted single storey entrance porch in re-entrant angle to centre; moulded doorway set in chamfered angle to right, boarded door, 2 small windows to left, half-piend slate roof. Window at ground and 1st floor to right and to chamfered angle to outer right. Circular tower to outer left, window at 1st floor to NE, bell-cast slate roof with finial.

N (Clyde Street) elevation: taller lop-sided gable bay on return to N with window to right at ground and off- centre right at 1st floor.

E (rear) elevation: blank elevation.

S (elevation): lop-sided gable bay with wallhead stack to left. Slightly chamfered angle to right with bipartite windows at ground and 1st floor. Tower to outer right. Modern single storey, flat-roofed extension abutting to left.

Mostly 12-pane sash and case windows. Grey slate roof; ashlar coped skews; scrolled skewputts; rendered corniced stack to centre, sandstone corniced wallhead stack to S.

Boundary wall, gates and railings: sandstone snecked rubble walls with bar cast-iron railings above; similar design to gates with curved panels above gateways inset with lettering 'Boys' to right gateway; 'Girls' to left.

Statement of Interest

The school is now in use as a community educational centre for Strathclyde Regional Council. The prototype for the bell-cast roofs seem to be the Old College in Glasgow which was demolished in 1880. A similar detail was used by Robert Rowand Anderson at the Burgh Hall in Pollockshaws in 1895-8, where he set out to save from oblivion some of the fine features of the old Glasgow College, the tower with its timber bell-stage and cap although squatter, is the most prominent borrowing.

External Links

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