Edinburgh, St Andrew Place, Leith Academy Primary School

The first reference to a gramnar school in Leith occurs in Edinburgh Town Council Records in 1521 (McAra, 1960, 2). The school after 1560 fell into the care of the Kirk Session and by 1623 is known to have occupied the vaults of Old Trinity House. In the J650s, for brief periods, Cromwellian troops occupied the house and scholars were forced to meet in a loft above a soaphouse in St.Andrews Street. This move was temporary and in 1657, the school was once again convened in the Old Trinity House. In 1710 a new school was erected in the south-west corner of the churchyard, but by the end of the century complaints were made about the damp condition of the structure (McKay, 1934, 12, 19). Another school was subsequently built in the Links in 1806.

Information from ‘Historic Edinburgh, Canongate and Leith: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1981).

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

Foundation stone consisting of the above inscriptions and, at the top, a carving of a three-masted sailing ship.

Inspected By : I. C. Grant

Inscriptions : Below relief of ship, within scroll (raised letters): PERSEVERE

Below scroll (incised letters): LEITH SCHOOL BOARD / LEITH ACADEMY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE / FOUNDATION STONE OF THIS BUILDING / LAID BY / ROBERT SOMERVILLE ESQ JP / ON 2ND MAY 1896 / SCHOOL FORMALLY OPENED BY / THE RIGHT HON LORD REAY CCIE CCSI / (CHAIRMAN OF THE LONDON SCHOOL BOARD) / ON 22ND OCTOBER 1898 / GEORGE CRAIG ARCHITECT

Signatures : None

Design period : 1895-1898

Year of unveiling : 1898

Unveiling details : 22 October 1898

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN1031)

A programme of archaeological monitoring was carried out in order to satisfy a requirement for archaeological mitigation stipulated by the City of Edinburgh Council Archaeological Service (CECAS) prior to the construction of a new nursery building within the grounds of Leith Primary School. The programme of works comprised the monitoring of all ground works associated with the laying of service pipes across the site plus monitoring the excavation of 32 footprint pads that will form the foundation of the new development.

The service pipe excavations comprised a series of five interconnected trenches located to the south-east of the school building. The trenches were excavated to between 0.4m and 1.8m deep revealing several layers of material overlying the geological subsoil. The majority of these layers proved to be the result of 19th/20th century disturbance or of modern origin. The only layer of any significance was a sand subsoil recorded close to the base of two of the trenches immediately above the geological beach deposits. The subsoil included a number of disarticulated sheep/goat bones at a depth of 1.3m and was thought to represent the remains of a post-medieval cultivation soil. A series of 32 footprint pads were also monitored as part of the archaeological works. These pads were excavated to a maximum depth of 0.6m wih no features or arefacts of archaeological significance identified.

Funder: Edindurgh City Council,

Headland Archaeology Ltd.

An historic building survey was undertaken by CFA Archaeology Ltd at Leith Academy Primary School, Edinburgh (NGR: NT 27138 75899, Fig. 1) during June 2015. The work was commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council. John Lawson at the City of Edinburgh Council Archaeology Service (CECAS) requested that a Level 2 building survey be carried out on the redundant boiler house, chimney and canopy prior to their demolition.

The Level 2 standing building survey has recorded the architectural character and plan form of the boiler house, chimney and canopy. A passage running between the boiler house an primary school was recorded. The boiler room contained a coke bunker. No evidence survived showing where the boiler stood but it was believed to have been close to the base of the chimney stack. The boiler house was constructed around the chimney c.1898. It is recommended that no further work is required prior to its demolition, although it is recognised that the decision for any further recording work lies with CECAS.

Funder: City of Edinburgh Council

CFA Archaeology Ltd

Information from Mike Cressey (CFA Archaeology Ltd) July 2015. OASIS-ID: cfaarcha1-215840

An archaeological watching brief was carried out during ground-works for a playground extension at Leith Academy Primary School. The watching brief was required because the playground extension lay in close proximity to the former Victorian Mission Hall (now a boxing club) where a pit was previously discovered and contained a number of 15th century burials. However the watching brief only identified a few stone setts immediately beneath the modern tarmac which indicated the presence of an earlier cobbled surface. No other archaeological features or deposits were revealed.

Informatipn from Magnus Kirby (CFA Archaeology Ltd) September 2016. OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-267838