Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

Former Inverkeithing Primary School, excluding the early-20th century primary school building, entrance gatepiers and gateways, boundary walls and playshed, Roods Road, InverkeithingLB49955

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
C
Date Added
04/08/2004
Last Date Amended
05/03/2020
Local Authority
Fife
Planning Authority
Fife
Burgh
Inverkeithing
NGR
NT 12964 83056
Coordinates
312964, 683056

Description

Designed by Andrew Scobie in 1874, the former Inverkeithing Primary School is a single-storey, symmetrical, ten-bay, H-plan, plain Tudor-style Board School with prominent gabled bays and hoodmoulded windows and doors. It is predominantly constructed in squared and coursed whinstone to the principal elevation and the remainder is built in snecked rubble. The school has an ashlar basecourse, droved ashlar quoins, rybats and dressings.

Principal (east) elevation: symmetrical. Central, slightly advanced gabled and finialled bay, tripartite transomed and mullioned hoodmoulded windows, scrolled label stops; three transomed windows to left. Slightly recessed gabled bay with bipartite transomed and mullioned windows to penultimate bay left; wide gabled bay to far left with hoodmoulded four-light transomed and mullioned windows, scrolled label stops. Gothic-arched doorway with shaped hoodmould recessed to left return, advanced piended two-bay section with transomed windows to left of doorway. Right section of identical arrangement.

North elevation: six-bay. Door with fanlight and sidelight inserted into former window opening to far left; five evenly spaced windows to right. Ground falling to east.

Rear (west) elevation: symmetrical. Large gabled breaking eaves dormers with slate cheeks to advanced end pavilions, large bipartite windows. Central eight-bay recessed block, central cement-rendered chimneystack, three flanking windows; flat-roofed porches with advanced single pitch bays in re-entrant angles. Sunken boiler house advanced to middle of centre block. Rendered cement boiler stack.

South elevation: six-bay with six bipartite windows to wallhead. Ground falling to east.

The windows are in a lying pane glazing pattern and there are four-pane sash and case windows at the rear. There are pitched and piended roofs with graded grey slates and moulded ashlar skews and skewputts.

Interior (seen 2004): original classroom layouts mostly intact. Typical central schoolroom with subsidiary classrooms to each wing (that to north converted into cafeteria). Tongue and groove timber wainscot throughout. No fireplaces remaining.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the early-20th century primary school building, entrance gatepiers and gateways, boundary walls and playshed.

Statement of Special Interest

The former Inverkeithing primary school is on a prominent site high above the burgh's main street. A grammar school was established in Church Street, Inverkeithing in 1819 (now demolished, and the site of the war memorial, LB49941). Shortly after the 1872 Education Scotland Act, a new primary school was erected in Roods Road in 1874, after which time the grammar school was used for infant classes.

This former primary school building was designed by local architect, Andrew Scobie, and it remains a good, representative example of a Board School built soon after the 1872 Education (Scotland) Act. The building has good quality stonework detailing and the interior has typical detailing for a school of this date The building has not been significantly altered or extended since it was built in the late 19th century which is unusual for a school of this date.

The architect, Andrew Scobie, was a relatively well-known architect to the Dunfermline area and had already completed a number of important commissions, including Bruce Street Hall (1866). Scobie was simultaneously awarded two school commissions in 1874 and as well as designing the modest school at Inverkeithing, he also produced a more overtly Gothic design for Milesmark Primary School, Rumblingwell, Dunfermline. Scobie specialised in public commissions and when his son joined him after the turn of the 20th century, their practice would continue to undertake more school commissions, including that at Brock Street, North Queensferry (listed at B, LB49038).

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the following are excluded from the listing: the early-20th century primary school building, entrance gatepiers and gateways, boundary walls and playshed.

Statutory address and listed building record revised in 2020. Previously listed as 'Roods Road, Inverkeithing Primary Schools, including boundary walls and playshed'.

References

Bibliography

Maps

Ordnance Survey (revised 1895, published 1896). Fifeshire XXXIX.14 (Dunfermline; Inverkeithing). 25 inches to the mile. 2nd Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Ordnance Survey (revised 1925, published 1927). Fifeshire XXXIX.14 (Dunfermline; Inverkeithing). 25 inches to the mile. 4th Edition. Southampton: Ordnance Survey.

Printed Sources

Gifford, J. (1988) The Buildings of Scotland – Fife. London: Penguin Books, p.250.

Groome, F. H. (1882-4) Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical – Inverkeithing. Edinburgh: Thomas C. Jack, available at https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/descriptions/121470.

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 29/03/2024 00:32