Description
1822, 1864 and 1914. Group converted to educational complex from canvas works, linoleum factory and small chapel.
UNION CHAPEL FACADE: 1822. Single storey, 4-bay pinnacled facade of former chapel on ground sloping to W and adjoining bridge to E. Sandstone ashlar. Pinnacled buttresses, pointed-arch openings with hoodmoulds, chamfered arrises and stone mullions.
S (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: broad door below stepped wallhead and flanking pinnacles in bay to right of centre, bipartite window below crenellated wallhead in bay to outer right and 2 similar bays to left with further pinnacle to outer left. All openings blocked.
NAIRN FACADE: 1864; Gillespie & Scott alterations 1895 (see Notes). Single storey, 14-bay (grouped 3-1-9-1) pilastraded facade of former industrial building. Narrow ashlar blocks with dressed, raised long and short quoins. Base course, raked cill course and cavetto cornice. Rusticated round-headed former openings (all blocked with boarded timber), paired pilasters (droved), keystones, voussoirs and chamfered arrises.
S (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: deep base course with pilastrade (paired pilasters) above; broad, pedimented arch (former entrance) in bay
4 with moulded panel 'M NAIRN & CO'; 3 bays to left (on gentle concave curve) each with window and 9 similar bays to right. Lower bay with pedimented window and cavetto-coped pilaster adjoining to outer right; curvilinear gable with bipartite window and corbelled gablehead on return to right.
FIFE COLLEGE, PRIORY CAMPUS: Gillespie & Scott, 1914. 3-storey, 19-bay (grouped 1-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-1) former canvas works. Polished ashlar. Band and cill courses, and eaves cornice; flat roof of PVC coated aluminium. Pilasters dividing bays; tall round-headed keystoned former entrance; stone mullions to bipartite windows.
S (HIGH STREET) ELEVATION: on convex curve with channelled plinth, bay groups divided by pilasters above ground, slightly advanced at ground. Tall and broad, glazed modern door (former pend?) to outer left, tripartite window at corner (bay 8), all other windows bipartite except outer bays; regular fenestration to each floor above.
E ELEVATION: 3 windows to each floor and stair tower to outer right.
STAIR TOWER: 3-stage, red brick stair tower. Stage 1 with 2-leaf door to E at ground and irregular fenestration above; S, E and W elevations corbelled to 2nd stage with cill course to 2 windows and 2 further windows above with corbelled heads; band course giving way to narrow 3rd stage with 2 small windows abutting further band course.
10-, 12- and 14-pane glazing patterns in metal frame windows. 16- and 24-pane glazing patterns in metal casement windows to tower.
INTERIOR: cast-iron columns to each floor.
BOUNDARY WALLS: Ashlar coped rubble boundary walls, that to N with row of large (approximately 4' high x 2' wide) cast-iron brackets.